Thai regional cuisines: A culinary journey from North to South

Colourful illustration representing the diversity of Thai cuisines: dishes from the North, Isan, the South and the Central Plains, with royal, Muslim and Sino-Thai influences.

Introduction: Thai cuisines, in the plural

When people refer to Thai cuisine, they often use the singular. Yet Thailand is home to many distinct regional cuisines, each shaped by geography, climate, and cultural exchanges. Stretching 1,700 kilometres from north to south, the country offers an exceptional variety of climates and landscapes, resulting in a diversity of local ingredients and culinary traditions. Add to this the legacy of royal cuisine, Muslim influences, and Sino-Thai cooking, and it becomes clear why speaking of Thai cuisine in the plural is more accurate.

Northern cuisine: freshness from the mountains and neighbouring legacies

The North is a land of mountains and valleys, with a cooler climate than the rest of the country. Here, trees, flowers, vegetables and fruits grow that cannot be cultivated elsewhere in Thailand. Burmese, Lao and Chinese influences are obvious.

Northern food is less sweet, not very citrus-based, and curries are generally cooked in broth rather than coconut milk. The dominant flavours are salty and moderately spicy, often served with sticky rice.

Signature dishes include:

• Khao Soi, now the emblem of Chiang Mai, found in every restaurant in the city.

• Nam Prik, pestled chilli pastes served with raw and cooked vegetables. They are central to Thai dining tables, but almost unknown in the West. In the North, you will find Nam Prik Noom, made with grilled green chillies, and Nam Prik Ong, made with pork and tomatoes. These dishes are available even in tourist restaurants in Chiang Mai, offering visitors an authentic side of Thai food that would otherwise remain invisible.

• Hunglay curry, of Burmese inspiration, prepared with a mix of dry spices and fresh ingredients.

The North is also enriched by the diversity of its hill tribes, who preserve their own culinary traditions and further diversify the food landscape.

For more details, read our full article dedicated to Northern Thai cuisine.

Isan cuisine: authenticity and the power of spice

Isan, in the northeast, is Thailand’s largest region but also the least densely populated. For a long time, it remained isolated due to its landscape, the Mekong River and forests, which preserved a cuisine close to its original foundations.

Main features:

• Dishes based on salads and soups, always served with sticky rice.

• A strong presence of freshwater fish, sometimes fermented.

• Frequent use of herbs such as lemongrass and galangal.

• Heavy reliance on pla ra, the fermented fish sauce.

Cultural and linguistic proximity with Laos explains dishes such as green papaya salad (som tam) or larb (minced meat salad, raw or cooked). With Cambodia, Isan shares Khmer dishes like homok, a steamed curry claimed by both countries.

Isan cuisine is renowned for being very spicy, though not the spiciest in Thailand. That title goes to the South.

Southern cuisine: intensity and abundance

The South is a land of abundance, bordered by Myanmar, the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. Naturally, seafood and fish dominate the local diet. With no cool season, only hot and rainy seasons, herbs and vegetables grow year-round.

The South is also the spiciest region of Thailand. Two iconic Southern curries illustrate this fiery intensity:

• Kaeng Som, a sour curry often cited by locals as a favourite.

• Kua Kling, a dry curry with bold aromas.

Turmeric is omnipresent, used not only in curries but also in soups and other preparations.

Alongside traditional Thai cuisine, the South also features:

• Muslim cuisine, especially in the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat (legacy of the Sultanate of Pattani, closely related to Malay cuisine).

• Sino-Thai cuisine, particularly in Phuket, where the dim sum breakfast culture thrives and where the famous Vegetarian Festival takes place.

The Central Plains and royal cuisine

The Central Plains, irrigated by the Chao Phraya River, are Thailand’s rice bowl. They underpin a varied, balanced and accessible cuisine, from which have emerged the country’s culinary ambassadors abroad. Examples include Pad Thai, tom yam soup, and green curry.

But this region is also home to royal cuisine, born in the Ayutthaya Kingdom and defined by three specific criteria:

• Use of noble ingredients (such as Ayutthaya freshwater prawns).

• Proximity to ensure absolute freshness.

• Dishes designed to be easy to eat, with meats shelled, minced and then restuffed in their natural casings (crab, prawns, chicken wings).

Royal cuisine also reflects a form of terroir, each product carefully chosen for quality and origin.

Ethnic cuisines: Muslim and Sino-Thai

Muslim cuisine

Found mainly in the South but also in the North, it is characterised by:

• The use of beef and sometimes lamb, both rare elsewhere in Thailand.

• Slow-cooked stews, unlike the quick stir-frying typical of Thai cooking.

• Mild curries such as Massaman curry and Khao Soi.

• Occasional use of dairy products (yoghurt, butter), exceptional in Thai food.

Sino-Thai cuisine

Born from Chinese migration, it is especially visible in the North and South.

• In the North: entire villages where residents speak both Thai and Chinese.

• In the South: the dim sum culture of Phuket, but also in lesser-known towns such as Trang.

• Across the country: noodle soups, dumplings, sometimes eaten with chopsticks.

• In stews: sweet-savoury dishes flavoured with cinnamon or star anise, rare in other Thai regions. Examples include Khao Kha Moo (slow-braised pork leg) and Moo Palo (pork belly stewed with eggs).

Conclusion: discovering Thailand through its cuisines

From the mountains of the North to the islands of the South, from the fertile Central Plains to the Muslim and Chinese culinary heritages, Thailand is a country of multiple cuisines rather than a single one. We are the authors of 12 recipe books, covering more than 500 dishes, and we are still far from exhausting the subject. The culinary richness of Thailand is truly astounding.

To explore this diversity, we naturally recommend joining our cooking classes in Koh Samui. It is a wonderful way to spend time and later bring back the flavours of Thailand once home by cooking your favourite dishes.

For travellers, we also provide free travel guides focused on food discovery:

• A guide to Northern Thailand,

• A guide to Koh Samui,

• And soon, a guide to the South, combining travel tips with authentic restaurant addresses.

These resources allow you to taste Thailand as locals live it, and to discover addresses often missing from standard tourist itineraries.

More detailed articles on each regional and ethnic cuisine will soon follow, complete with recipes. In the meantime, if you have any questions, we are always delighted to answer, feel free to contact us.