Learn to cook in Thailand ! Essential starter course: Understanding Thailand’s 4 major cuisines

Text and photos / Excerpted from"A Little Thai Culinary Journey"By Yu Mei-Ruey, published by Sport & Travel Publishing

To learn Thai cooking, it’s essential to first understand Thai cuisine categories—this is a foundational step.

Thai cuisine, shaped by its natural environment and ethnic integration, not only satisfies the palate but also nourishes the hearts of enthusiasts. The spices and plants commonly used in Thai cooking also have healing properties. Gaining a deeper understanding of ingredient characteristics and the evolution and differences of regional cuisines while learning Thai food can help you improve your culinary skills.

Thai cuisine is basically divided into the following four major cuisines: you can start by memorizing the dishes and characteristics of these four regions—it will make it easier to grasp the key points when learning these dishes later.

Northeastern Cuisine

The dietary culture of northeastern Isan is influenced by Burmese cuisine and is similar to that of Laos. It is a sticky rice-eating culture where people even eat insects. Notable dishes include: spicy and sour shrimp soup, green papaya salad, Thai-style grilled meat served with sticky rice (a traditional way of eating northeastern Thai food), Thai chicken curry noodles, and fermented pork sausage.

Southern Cuisine

Since southern Thailand borders the sea on both sides, it is heavily influenced by Malaysian and Indian cuisines. It favors Malaysian ingredients and uses seasonings that are stronger in flavor and tangier.
Notable dishes include: Thai yellow curry, fish curry, and Massaman curry.

Central Cuisine

Central Thai cuisine is centered around the capital Bangkok. This region is abundant in fruits and vegetables and is a fertile land of fish and rice, with fresh ingredients—but it generally favors sweeter seasonings. Notable dishes include: Thai red curry, coconut chicken soup, and royal desserts.

Northern Cuisine

The mountainous cuisine of northern Thailand is greatly influenced by northeastern Thai cuisine, as well as the cultures of Laos and Cambodia. Notable dishes include: Thai curry noodles and fermented pork sausage.

※ Thai cuisine is divided into three types:

1. Royal/Institutional School

Focused on refined dishes and uniquely artistic presentations, this is the mainstream of Thai culinary art. One branch is passed down within the royal court through traditional techniques and methods to preserve royal cuisine, while another part consists of culinary schools where many retired royal chefs teach, bringing royal culinary skills into civilian culinary institutions.

2. Regional Local Cuisine

Thailand is a large country, and there are differences in eating habits between the north and the south. For instance, people in northern Thailand are not accustomed to the spiciness of southern Thai food, so they create their own regional dishes that clearly reflect local tastes.

3. Street Food

Affordable and delicious is the common feature of street food stalls, which are found everywhere and attract people from all walks of life in Thailand.