Thailand's Regional Cusines

Thai food varies from region to region due to geography and history. In the West, most Thai restaurants serve Bangkok-style cuisine, so travelling in Thailand is a culinary adventure of discovery. There are four main regions in Thailand: Central/Bangkok area, the North/Chiang Mai area, the Northeast (Issan), and the South.

Central Thailand, is the home of the famous floating river market west of Bangkok. Many great rivers converge in this delta, making it a fertile plain for rice growing.

In the Central Plains region, food is mainly hot, salty, sweet and sour. Steamed jasmine rice is served with different types of nam prik (chili dipping sauces) and soups. Tom yum goong (shrimp soup with lemon grass) is a favorite dish. Prepared dishes usually contain many condiments and dried spices.

Favorite/famous dishes of the Central Plains include:

Nam Prik chili paste dip made with shrimp paste (kapee) which is eaten with seasonal vegetables i.e. morning glory, makok, and cha-om
Salads (yam) mixed with fresh kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and herbs
Curry made with a paste of spicy Thai chilies, onions, garlic, galangal, lemongrass, coriander roots, kaffir lime peel, and kapee
Eggs are an all day/every day food including omelets stuffed with minced pork and fried eggs sunny-side up on top of basil stir-fried chicken
The Central Plains version of the Issan salad som tom is sweeter, more sour, and includes the additon of ground peanuts influenced by the King's palace kitchens
Khao Chae, a cooling summertime rice dish

In the North of Thailand, around Chiang Mai, the land is mostly jungle-covered mountains and valleys. Historically this area is the home of the Lanna Thais, whose former capital was Chiang Mai. Northern Thailand has the highest peaks of the country and is the home of the hill tribes including the Hmong, Yao, Lisu, and Tai Yai.

In the North, food is mild or hot, salty and sour, but rarely sweet. Sticky rice (glutinous) is served with steamed vegetables, nam phrik oong, soups and Northern-style curries are common. The North is also well-known for naem, a sour sausage made of fermented minced pork, wrapped and steamed in banana leaf.

Food is traditionally eaten at a small table called kantoke table or tray made of oak in the Chiang Mai area. Diners sit on straw mats around the table, eating communally.

Northern favorite dishes include:

Nam prik chili paste dip made with roasted chilies, garlic, shallots, with a salty or sweet taste, served wtih fresh vegetables raw, steamed, or boiled
Nam prik served with fried fish is usually served with a paste of fermented soybeans instead of shrimp paste (kapee) like other regions
Curries are Burmese-style often including some pork fat
Both sticky rice and non-sticky rice
Vegetables and fruits that can grow in cooler mountain areas include strawberries, apples, and carrots
Sausages known as naem

The Northeast, also known as Issan, is a high plateau, with low rainfall and porous soil. The cuisine is simple and is traditionally eaten on a pa kao table made from bamboo or rattan. Food in the Northeast is hot, salty and sour. Papaya salad (sohm tahm), sour chopped meat salad (koi), and sour minced chicken, beef, or pork salad (larb) are favorites. Many condiments are used but not many dried spices in this region. Meals are based on sticky rice and a strong paste called nam phrik pla ra (spicy dipping sauce of fermented fish and chilis) accompanied by raw wild and cultivated vegetables and herbs.

The Northeast (Issan):

Pla ra, pla som, and pla daek is the most distinctive feature of Issan food
Pla ra seasons curry (Pla ra is the Issan equivalent of fish sauce)
Chili pastes known as jaew - chilies, garlic, salt, 'pla ra' and lime juice
Reputation for eating anything for protein including frogs, birds, snakes, and even insects
Most famous dish is som tom, spicy green papaya salad
Sticky rice served in small baskets called gktratip, rolled into a ball and eaten with grilled chicken and naem, a slightly fermented sausage with a slight sour taste

In the South of Thailand there is an abundance of coconut trees and seafood. Food in the South is renowned for being strong in taste - very hot, salty and sour. Spicy curries are eaten every day, especially coconut curry and sour curry. Generally Southerners eat more fish than meat, because they reside close to the sea. The most common dipping sauce or paste is nam phrik kapee (also called nam chuke), eaten with raw vegetables and crispy fried fish. This dipping sauce is prepared with the best quality shrimp paste (kapee or kuey), fresh chilies (prik kee noo), and fresh lime juice.

Southern Thai favorite dishes include:

Khao Yam made with lots of vegetables, grated coconut, and a special dressing made with kuhee/kapee
Gaeng Tai Pla, Fish Stomach Curry, is one of the regions most famous dishes
Goong Gatee Haw My Sot, prawn and bamboo in coconut milk soup
Gaeng masumam, a Indian-influenced curry made with dried spices
Sator, twisted cluster beans

See our Thai Recipes