Thai Regional Food

Soups are also popular, such as tom yam,which is hot and sour shrimp soup, and tom kha kai, chickensoup with coconut milk.  Yam-like saladsare eaten hot, and there are sour salads containing lime juice, chili and freshherbs, plus seafood or vegetables, roast beef or pork.

Other specialties fromcentral Thailandare khao laam nakhon pathom – sticky rice with coconut milk that is steamed inshort bamboo tubes, and kuay-thiao-ruea – (boat noodles).

This noodlesoup was originally sold out of a boat in the floating markets of Rangsit, butis now also available in all markets.

Its distinguishing feature is the image of the cook and his cooking potsitting in a jacked up boat. Since southern Thailand borders the sea in thewest and east, there are many dishes with fish. Kaeng tai pla, fish stomach soup, is a very spicydish made from fish stomachs, green beans, pickled bamboo and potatoes.

Also very popular in the south are roti, a Thaivariation of the chapati, theIndian pita bread.  For breakfast, apopular dish is roti kaeng, which is roti with any curry sauce.

Mataba is a roti stuffed with spiced, mincedmeat.  Tourists like to eat roti -kluay, which is roti filled withbanana slices.

The farther south one goes, the more one will findthe traditional coffee shops, which are often run by Hokkien Chinese.  Characteristic features are the round tableof white marble, which the Chinese manufactured in the conventional manner, andfiltered kopi (Malay for coffee) in small, thick glasses.  Pathong-ko, unsweetenedfat-cakes, are also served.

Northeast Thailand

The kitchen in the northeast, the Isaan territory,is strongly influenced by Laosand Cambodia.  The best known is also a”triumvirate”: kai yang – grilled chicken, som tam – aspicy and sour salad of green papaya, and khao niao – sticky rice.

They are often mentioned in one breath, asthey represent perhaps the essence of the kitchen of Aharn-Phak-Isan, in northeast Thailand.  Fermented fish, raa pla, is a popular condiment.
Another major contribution to Isaan cuisine isprovided by laab, a type of salad consisting ofchopped pork, chicken or fish,seasoned with lime juice, fish sauce, chili, fresh mint leaves, and khaokhua-pon (uncooked, roasted and pounded rice).

Southern Thailand

In the southern provinces, Malaysia’s influence makes itselffelt.  There are many Muslims in theprovinces, and many Chinese, so that in Aharn-Phak Tai southerncooking mixes several cooking styles.
For example, khanom chiin nam ya are thin Chinese ricenoodles with a spicy fish curry sauce.

Another popular dish that is often offered in Muslim restaurants is khao mok kai, the southern Thai styleof a biryani cooked together with the rice and chicken, spiced with cloves, cinnamon and fresh turmeric roots.

This is always served with a mild chicken broth and a bowl of cucumber slices andpickled chili slices.
There are very popular dishes here that are alongthe lines of Indian curries, such as the kaeng masaman, or gaengmatsaman – Muslim soup.

This dish hasbecome the standard in many small restaurants, it can – depending on the amount of the added chili – be feltsharply from mild to fiery.  It is sopopular that King Phuttaloetla (Rama II) even wrote a little poem about it.

Thai Regional Food

Thai cuisine can be divided into fourregional cuisines that have distinguished themselves, more or less, from eachother with their own typical dishes.  Bangkok, as its capital,occupies a special position.

Northern Thailand

The north of the country borders Myanmar and Laos, and therefore aharn nuea phakfrom the kitchens of those countries can be found.  The region’s preference for kao niau (stickyrice) was taken from Laos. The influence of Myanmarmakes itself noticeable in theregional specialty kaeng hang leh, a kind of spicy stew with pork.

Here, the meals are traditionallyeaten sitting at a table that is flat on the floor.  This form of entertainment is called thok khan, and it hasbecome a tourist attraction.Specialties here includevarious chili pastes, which are served with blanched vegetables, such as namphrik ong – dried red chiliand minced meat in a spicy tomato sauce.

The result of the crossroads of trade routes from China, there are many pasta dishes,such as khao soi – flat egg noodles in aspicy sauce, topped with crispy fried noodles, sour pickled cabbage, shallot and lemon slices.  Another popular dish is muu phat bai kaphrao- fried pork with basil.

Central Thailand

Just as the dialect of central Thailand is regarded as the “default “Thai in schools and offices, and carries the aharn phak sound,dishes of central Thailandare regarded as the “traditional” Thai cuisine.  The courses with coconut milk and manyspices, which are known in the West as “curries,” characterize it, forexample.

This is perhaps most famouslyseen with the “triumvirate” of kaeng khiao wan andkaeng phet and kaeng phanaeng.
Many dishes are cooked in a wok.  Examples are kratiam-phrik-phat-thai – fried with garlic and pepper, Phat’s Bay kaphrao  - fried with basil, phak bung-fai – daeng -fried water spinach with chili, garlic and black beans, and khai chiao – a Thaiomelet.

The latter is often served withnam-phrik Si Racha, anorange-colored, salty-sweet chili sauce with garlic, which is named after thecoastal town of Si Racha.

Bangkok

In Bangkok,there are restaurants to suit virtually every taste.  All major European, Near Eastern and FarEastern flavors are represented in many gourmet restaurants.  Probably the highest densities of restaurantsare found in the areas where the tourists mainly stay, especially Sukhumvit Road andits numerous side streets.

Guides saythat in these areas you are never more than fifty meters from the nearestrestaurant.
Numerous food stalls and street stalls are seen onpractically every street corner in Bangkok.  One may eat rather cheaply at these incomparison to the local restaurants.

Thefood from these outdoor kitchens, in the English language “streetfood” or “hawker food,” is part of the daily lives of many Thaisin the big cities.

Experienced cookshopeaters can see the dishes in a booklet that is produced listing theingredients.  The cooks use earthenutensils, such as mortars and shallow pans.
Food courts offer, more or less, a large number offood stalls in a hygienic environment. These can usually be found in the basements or on the top floors oflarge department stores.  Each food stallproduces its own specialty.

Payment hereis not made with cash, but with coupons in various denominations, which can bepurchased in advance at the entrance.  Many long-established restaurants in Bangkok are located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.  Some terraces are situated on the banks,while others are built on stilts in the river itself.

The food is traditional Thai cuisine

The major hotels in town are regularly trying tooutdo each other with specials, or offering food from all-you-can-eatbuffets.  In the pages of dailynewspapers, there are references to specific events in the hotels’ restaurantsor special awards the restaurants have received.

Some hotels, especially the renovatedAuthor’s Wing in the Oriental Hotel, also offer English afternoon tea.  Several hotels and restaurants offer cruises on the Chao Phraya River with restaurant service.  The trip takes about two to three hours, andit leads down a stretch of the river and then back to the starting point.