Thai food is one of the great cuisines of Asia — and Thailand is one of the best places on earth to eat cheaply and well. From a 40-baht bowl of noodles on the street to a multi-course meal at a Bangkok restaurant, the quality is remarkably consistent. The heat level can be fierce; restaurants accustomed to foreigners will often tone it down, but if you want the real thing, say phet (spicy) and mean it.
Thai cooking balances four primary tastes — hot, sour, salty, and sweet — and most dishes aim for all four at once. Fresh herbs (lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil) are as important as dried spices. Coconut milk appears frequently in curries and desserts. Fish sauce rather than salt is the standard seasoning.
Dishes Worth Knowing
Pad Thai — stir-fried rice noodles with egg, tofu or shrimp, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts, dressed with tamarind and fish sauce. Thailand's most famous export and still excellent when made properly.
Tom Yam Kung — hot and sour prawn soup with lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal, and chilli. Intensely aromatic and genuinely one of the great soups of the world.
Green and Red Curry — coconut-based curries with chicken, beef, or vegetables, served over jasmine rice. Green curry (gaeng kiaw wan) is typically hotter; massaman curry, from the south, is richer and milder with influences from Muslim cooking.
Som Tam — green papaya salad, shredded and pounded with chilli, lime, fish sauce, and palm sugar. The Isaan version often includes fermented fish sauce and is extremely spicy.
Khao Soi — a northern Thai specialty not to miss in Chiang Mai: egg noodles in a rich, slightly spicy coconut curry broth, topped with crispy fried noodles. Served with pickled mustard greens and lime.
Pad Krapao — minced pork or chicken stir-fried with holy basil and chilli, served over rice with a fried egg. The definitive Thai weekday lunch.
Regional Differences
The north (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai) has a cuisine influenced by Burma and Yunnan — less coconut milk, more fermented flavours, sticky rice rather than jasmine. The northeast (Isaan) is known for grilled meats, larb (spiced meat salad), and fiery som tam; the food is some of the cheapest and most satisfying in the country. The south is heavier on coconut curries and fresh seafood, and the Muslim-influenced dishes of the far south have their own character.
Street Food
Thailand's street food culture is one of its great pleasures. Morning markets offer rice porridge (khao tom) and noodle soups; lunch carts appear outside office buildings with rice-and-one-dish combinations; evening markets fill with grilled meats, satay, and fried snacks. Bangkok's Chinatown (Yaowarat) is a particularly good destination for an evening of eating your way down the street.