ThailandWhat to eat in Thailand: top 10 dishes
Traveling to Thailand? These are the ten dishes it is best known for, from everyday staples to festive classics, with a short background and a tip on where and when to eat each one. Ranked by how widely they are known around the world.
01Pad thai
Pad thai is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of Thai cuisine. It is typically made with rice noodles, shrimp, peanuts, green onions, scrambled egg, sugar and bean sprouts. The ingredients are fried in a wok.
Travel tip A classic street food, cooked to order in a hot wok. Add the lime, peanuts, chili and sugar from the side dishes to taste.
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02Tom yum
Tom yum or tom yam is a family of hot and sour Thai soups. The name tom yam is composed of two words in the Thai language: tom refers to the boiling process, while yam means "mixed".
Travel tip Found in restaurants and food stalls across the country, and often shared as one of several dishes with rice. It is typically hot and sour, so ask for less spice if you are sensitive.
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03Green curry
Green curry is a variety of curry originating from central Thailand.
Travel tip Served in restaurants and at rice-and-curry stalls, usually eaten over rice or with rice noodles. It can be quite spicy, so tell the cook if you prefer it milder.
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04Tom kha kai
Tom kha kai, tom kha gai, or Thai coconut soup is a spicy and sour hot soup with coconut milk in Thai cuisine.
Travel tip A creamy coconut soup shared at the table as part of a meal, found in most Thai restaurants. Galangal and lemongrass pieces are usually left in the bowl and not eaten.
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05Massaman curry
Massaman curry is a Thai dish consisting of potatoes, onions, peanuts, and massaman curry paste cooked in coconut milk, generally with chicken added.
Travel tip A milder, richer curry served in restaurants, often with potatoes and peanuts. It is a good choice if you want curry that is less spicy.
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06Phat kaphrao
Pad kaphrao, also spelled pad kaprow, pad kaprao, or pad gaprao, is one of the most popular Thai dishes in Thailand.
Travel tip A very common one-plate lunch at street stalls and small restaurants, often topped with a fried egg. Order it with rice, and ask for the spice level you like.
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07Red curry
Red curry is a Thai dish consisting of red curry paste cooked in coconut milk with meat such as chicken, beef, pork, duck or shrimp added, or else a vegetarian protein source such as tofu.
Travel tip Found in restaurants and rice-and-curry stalls, eaten with rice. Ask for the spice level you like, as it can be fairly hot.
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08Thai curry
Thai curry is a dish in Thai cuisine made from curry paste, coconut milk or water, meat, seafood, vegetables or fruit, and herbs.
Travel tip Curries are usually eaten with rice as one of several shared dishes, and are sold at curry stalls and restaurants. Each kind has a different color, flavor and level of heat, so ask the vendor to recommend one.
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09Mu kratha
Mu kratha is a Southeast Asia cooking method, originating in Thailand. In the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Myanmar it is known as mookata. In Laos, it is known as sin dat (Lao: ຊີ້ນດາດ).
Travel tip A social meal where you grill meat on a hot pan at the table, popular for evenings with friends and family. It is usually served as an all-you-can-eat style at casual restaurants.
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10Khao phat
Thai fried rice is a variety of fried rice typical of central Thai cuisine. In Thai, khao means "rice" and phat means "of or relating to being stir-fried." This dish normally contains meat (chicken, shrimp, and crab are all common), egg, onions, garlic and…
Travel tip A simple, everyday dish found at street stalls and restaurants at any hour. It is often served with lime wedges and a side of chili in fish sauce.
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