THAI COOKING 101: Regions

Understanding Thai cooking is understanding the different regions that lies within this country. It is divided into 5 regions. The north, northeast, south (including the Gulf of Thailand), the central plains, and Bankok. Regions depict the native foods, ingredients, and culture that leads to the foods that are prepared for eating.

Map from http://www.en.18dao.net/Map/Thailand

Click to enlarge picture.

Let's talk about the North this includes the city of Chiangmai. Coconuts are not found in this region, so unlike other regions that utilize coconuts in their dishes such as the south, the northern people don't have that for an ingredient unless a traveler happens to supply them with it. Also fish or seafood is not common here, though red meat is found, and various vegetables. A popular dish is the Thai Jungle Curry, this spicy dish comes from the north. Also lettuce wraps with spicy dips are popular Northern Thai dishes. Sticky rice is eaten daily, but not as a dessert like other regions. Learning? I am.

Now let's see what the Northeast region is like. It is very poor, very very poor. Like the north, you won't find coconuts or coconut milk. Red meats are eaten here as well as chicken and pork and wild game. If an animal is eaten, nothing goes to waste. It is common for a Thai cook to utilize an animal's togue, heart, intenstines, and any part that can be cooked.

Now one of the richer regions of Thailand, the South including the Gulf of Thailand. This area borders with Malaysia, lots of white sand beaches, mountains, to the west lots of island that are visited by millions each year. Fishing is a major industry, so seafood is popular here, and the abundance of coconuts, this area lends to the the popular Thai style of cooking we are familiar with. Look at the map as Malaysia sits close by, Malaysian cooking resembles Southern Thai cooking with the useage of coconuts and spicy peppers for curries. Fish sauce is made in this region, a condiment that is vital to Thai style cooking, or Nam Pla as it is called, or simply Thai fish sauce. Also tropical fruits can be found in the south, like mangoes, coconuts, pineapple, papaya, and mangosteen.

So now let's converse about the Central Plains, this area is prone to flooding during monsoon season, it acts as a basin where water is trapped, making this region famous for their cultivation of rice. Pad Thai is famous here. Rice is exported by the tons around the world, Jasmine rice is popular. Varieties of meats can be found in the Central Plains as well, from chicken and beef and fish too. It is common to find desserts made from mangoes and papayas here.

And then we have Bankok. Bankok says a friend of mine, he's been there several times. "Bankok has a lot of street food, stalls all along the streets cooking up awesome foods which are pretty clean and healthy." He continues, "Satays are big, it's just meats that are marinated and pierced with skewers and grilled to perfection." He also talked about fish cakes, and spring rolls with the fish sauce, Nam Pla. In Bankok, all the regional foods are found there, noodles and rice dishes, soups, grilled meats, fish, desserts, spicy, mild and everything in between can be found in Bankok. "If you want to learn to be a Thai cook, Bankok is the place to visit because it represents the whole Thai culinary experience, and it is a happening city for any foodie. Chinese influences are found in Bankok, wok cooking, sweet and sour dishes. It is really a nuts kind of place if you love food."