10 Must-Try Popular Foods in Thailand

Whether you are backpacking Thailand are visiting as a normal tourist, you are going to be exposed to Thai food for every meal of every day.

The most popular foods in Thailand are like a big hug: they warm you up and engulf your taste buds in the most delicious flavours. There’s spicy, hot, sour, earthy, sweet. And the flavours come one after another, surprising you over and over with new sensations. You will feel every single mouthful and you will want to return to Thailand for the food alone.

The best way to taste the most authentic (and affordable!) Thai food is through street food. And believe it or not, the reputations around food poisoning aren’t as big of an issue as you might think. As long as the food is cooked in front of you and you eat it hot, you will be fine.

So now that your mouth is watering and you’re starting to feel hungry, here are 10 traditional Thai foods you must try in Thailand! 

Must-Try Popular Foods in Thailand

Pad Thai

Okay, it’s the obvious one, but it would be impossible to leave out of any list involving food in Thailand. Known in Thailand as Phat Thai or Phad Thai, it’s a must-eat when visiting Thailand, it’s the most famous dish after all. It’s the most common form of street food and it consists of rice noodles, shrimp or chicken, scrambled eggs, vegetables and is usually topped with peanuts. So if you have a nut allergy, make sure to make it clear and known to the staff. You can also find vegetarian options. Everything is then fried in a wok and served up for you to enjoy. 

Tom Yum Goong

Tom yum is one of the tastiest of the lot. It’s a popular Thai dish among tourists, and many prefer it over the infamous Pad Thai. Tom yum, or tom yam, is a sour and spicy soup. The broth is made up of prawns, roasted chilli paste, lemongrass, and who could forget crushed red chilli peppers? There are of course other essential ingredients. It’s both hot and sour, two flavours which do not generally go hand in hand, yet, Tom Yum Goong is one of the highest-rated dishes coming out of Thailand. So loved, that many consider it to be the national dish of Thailand. 

Guay Teow

Another one of the more famous Thai dishes, Guay teow is one of the nicest traditional foods to try in Thailand. It’s such a vague meal and that’s what makes it so great. Guay teow can be used to describe basically any noodle soup. Any meat, chicken, pork, beef, you name it. Along with noodles, usually rice or egg. It’s then topped with veggies, lime juice and fish sauce. What makes the dish so versatile is that it can also be eaten at any time, it’s not exclusively a lunch or dinner food. 

Green Curry

A favourite in central Thailand, green curry is possibly the spiciest curry you can find in Thailand. Made up of, you guessed it, green chillies. Along with ginger, eggplant and coconut milk, this curry is not for the faint-hearted. It’s not meant to be eaten on its own so make sure to have some jasmine, or steamed, rice alongside. 

Khao Pad

Khao Pad is the most common dish in Thailand for locals. It’s simply fried rice and would be eaten nearly every day by a large population of Thais. It’s simple and plain, but effective. It’s delicious. You can add egg and onion if you wish and often it’s served with sliced cucumber. It’s a great everyday meal but also tastes amazing. One of the most traditional foods in Thailand, that’s for sure.   

Red Curry

Having tried green curry, your next step is red curry. As you can probably guess, it’s a curry, that’s red. Made from red chillies along with garlic, shrimp paste and other ingredients, the paste is combined with coconut milk and your meat of choice. Usually shrimp, chicken or duck. But you can also get beef or pork. 

Khao Soi

Eaten mainly in the north of Thailand, Khao Soi is another great option for trying traditional foods in Thailand. It’s a curry-based noodle soup. You can choose between chicken or beef (for the most authentic version) along with lime, veg, and as most Thai meals have, coconut milk. It creates a lovely broth-like finish, with the perfect balance of noodles to meat to curry.

Thai Suki

Thai Suki is the most popular communal dish in Thailand. Typically, the middle pot consists of broth and spicy sauces which you and your guests will drip your meats, seafood, veg and even dumplings in. The dish is a variation of China’s hot pot but it’s a great traditional food to eat in Thailand, as it has been around since the ‘50s. It’s also a great experience, having a communal meal compared to your own dish. Definitely worth doing at least once! 

Por Pia

When you think of Asian food, you may picture spring rolls. Por Pia is Thailand’s version and it’s so tasty! The spring rolls are filled with mung bean noodles, tofu, shrimp and veg. They’re also usually covered in a sweet and savoury sauce. They are deep-fried and taste absolutely dream-worthy. 

Kao Ka Moo

Kao Ka Moo is a dish that’s worth more than how it tastes. Watching this dish being prepared in front of you at a street food stall is worth trying alone. It’s truly a performance worth paying for. Kao Ka Moo consists of a bed of rice and veg (and egg, of course!) with braised meat chopped up into thin slices laying on top. So tasty! It would be impossible not to include it on a list of the best traditional foods in Thailand.

Traditional Popular Foods in Thailand: Conclusion

And there you have it, 10 must-try traditional popular foods in Thailand. Each one of these dishes is absolutely delicious, mouth-watering in fact. Whether you choose to have a traditional Thai Pad or delve into Thai Suki, you are guaranteed to leave with a happy stomach. Even if your mouth is burning from the spices! Nonetheless, when visiting Thailand, it would be a sin not to try the local cuisine. One of the best ways to do this is through a food tour, particularly when backpacking Thailand. Bangkok in particular has some excellent options which you can check out. So get out there and start treating your taste buds. 

If you want to read more articles about Asian food, check out the following posts:

• What to eat in Vietnam
• What to eat in Laos
• What to eat in Japan

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