Mention Thailand
What’s your first thought?
A beautiful view? A beauty? Good food?
Xiaobian immediately thought of food
If you had to describe the taste of Thai food
What do you think of?
Acid? Spicy? Fresh? Sweet?
Thailand is a famous food country, with its delicious richness and distinctive characteristics to attract tourists from all over the world.
Thailand borders Southeast Asian countries on the east and west, and extends to the Malay Peninsula along the Isthmus of Kra in the south; The southeast and southwest are close to the sea and rich in seafood resources. In addition, Thailand has a hot climate, abundant rainfall, abundant sunshine, rich rice, vegetables, fruits, herbs and so on are also very rich.
In a diverse environment, Thai cuisine has formed a distinct regionalism, which is divided into four cuisines — northern Thai cuisine, Northeast Thai cuisine, Chinese Thai cuisine and Southern Thai cuisine.
I’m sure you’re familiar with Thai food, but after eating so much Thai food, can you tell what kind of cuisine it comes from? Follow Xiaobian to learn about it!
01
Thai northern cuisine
Representative cities: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai
The northern part of Thailand was once the Lanna Dynasty, which had long been independent. Influenced by the food culture of Myanmar, Laos and Xishuangbanna of China, Northern Thai cuisine is obviously different from the other three cuisines. Thai cuisine is relatively mild in flavor, rarely uses coconut milk, and follows ancient cooking methods.
Specialties: Sour pork, Chiang Mai Noodles, fried pork skin, Thai sausage, etc.
02
Thai northeast cuisine
Representative cities: Kong Jing, Li Fu
The northeast of Thailand is relatively unfamiliar to most people. The climate in the northeast is relatively dry, the mountainous terrain and the food culture is influenced by Laos. Thailand’s northeast cuisine is famous for its heavy flavor, just like China’s Sichuan cuisine, which is the most distinctive Thai food faction with strong flavor and overbearing sour and spicy.
Song Dang is one of the most recognisable examples of a northeastern specialty. The most common is the green papaya salad, which is filled with fishy pickled crab or shrimp. It’s sour, fishy and spicy all at once.
Specialties: Green papaya salad, Hot and sour pork rib soup, pork neck salad, Isan sausage, etc
03
Central Thai cuisine
Representative cities: Bangkok, Pattaya
Central Thailand is a fertile plain, rich in products. Bangkok is a port city with prosperous trade since ancient times, so Thai-Chinese cuisine is a combination of food elements from various countries, especially influenced by Thai palace cuisine, Chinese food and halal food, and tastes unique. Thai Chinese food is also the most familiar Thai food to many tourists. The seasoning is sweet and coconut milk is preferred.
Specialties: Tom Yum Goong Soup, chicken with coconut sauce, Pad Thai, fish cakes, mango sticky rice, etc.
04
Thai southern cuisine
Representative cities: Phuket, Krabi
Thailand is a long and narrow peninsula in the south, which borders Malaysia. Its eating habits are deeply influenced by Malaysia, such as the use of turmeric, an ingredient commonly used in Malaysia.
Because of its abundant seafood resources, Tynan cuisine often uses fresh seafood as ingredients, uses a lot of spices, and tastes generally the hottest and strongest among the four cuisines. Coconut milk plays an important role in Tynan cuisine and is widely used to neutralize the heat.
Specials: Yellow curry, Masaman chicken Curry, sour fish soup, etc.
How’s that？
There are four major cuisines in Thai cuisine
Which one do you like best
Share your favorite Thai food in the comments
