Thailand, and especially Bangkok, is famous for its street food. For the second year running, CNN named Bangkok as the city with the best street food on the planet. I sampled much of the street food in Bangkok and Phuket when I was there and I do believe that Thailand has some of the best street food I've ever eaten. ( Mumbai is a close contender.) Thailand also has an abundance of delicious fruits, due to its tropical climate. Trying out the local delicacies was one of my favourite pastimes there and my only regret was not tasting more of them. Here are 13 delicious foods to eat in Thailand.
I first saw the infamous Durian in Malaysia . It’s notorious aroma drives people miles away. Hotels have signs prohibiting durian from being brought within their walls. But it is still wildly popular because of its custard-like pulp.
Durian
Also known as the sapodilla. I first had it in India. Not much to look at on the outside, it is a delicate brown skinned, fleshy fruit that is really sweet inside.
Chikoo / Sapodilla
To me, this fruit tasted more like a starfruit than an apple. It is a bell-shaped fruit that is crisp on the outside with sweet and slightly bitter flavor. Its distinct flavor, fragrance and texture is different from that of apple.
Rose apple
This beautiful fruit is actually a type of cactus with pink skin and white flesh. Another variety has red skin and flesh. Although this is also found in South Africa, it is much more common in Thailand.
Dragon fruit
These are available in South Africa as well but the Thai versions are more authentic, and taste better.
A popular stir-fried rice noodle dish. Available in chicken, beef, shrimp and vegetarian variations.
Pad Thai
A (really) hot and sour fragrant Thai soup, usually cooked with shrimp. Keep the water handy to extinguish the fires burning in your mouth after you eat it.
Tom Yum Soup
Grilled, skewered meats. Sold for 5-10 bahts (R2 -R4). A cheap but satisfying meal.
Satays
Spicy grilled prawns on a stick.
Prawns on a stick
After all these hot foods, some desserts are in order. Here are some of my favourites. (Most of them feature some form of coconut).
A traditional Thai dessert made with glutinous rice, fresh mango and coconut milk.
Mango sticky rice
A refreshing coconut-flavoured ice-cream sprinkled with roasted peanuts and almonds.
Coconut ice-cream
Bananas dipped in batter and deep-fried in hot oil. They are totally addictive.
Fried Bananas
Light and fluffy pancakes made with coconut and rice flour.
Coconut pancakes
A delicious snack. Purple in colour. The texture is like that of Pringles. Tastes like sweet potatoes. There are wasabi chips too.
Sweet potato fries
What are your favourite foods to eat in Thailand ? Which one of these would you like to try?
P.S. If you're wondering about the first image, it's what we ate when we visited Koh Panyee Floating Village.
Want to read more about food? Here are some most famous foods from different countries.
Read about the recent outcry about street food in Thailand here.
For more about Thailand, click here.
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Sara Essop is a travel blogger and writer based in South Africa. She writes about family travel and experiences around the world. Although she has been to 49 countries thus far, she especially loves showcasing her beautiful country and is a certified South Africa Specialist.
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Thank you. Helpful information!
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I'm not sure I would call durian "delicious"... lol... but it's definitely interesting. You should at least smell it once in your life, just so you can see what it's like.
Haha, that's true Samantha 🙂
I can't wait to try pad thai in Thailand! And satay. And all the fruit. And all the desserts... dammit. Now I'm hungry. =P
Thailand has some really good selection. I loved all types of fruits that they offer. It's just delicious. Next time I will try some of these for sure
By watching your post, I'm just craving to go there and try all these delicious foods. Pictures are damn good. Especially, I wanna try that coconut ice-cream. I'm really in love with these photos.
Thai is one of my favourite cuisines! I went to Thailand during mango season and had the best mango and sticky rice! Also a big fan of pineapple fried rice:) And tom yum, if it doesn't burn my mouth off (it often does...). Thanks for sharing, really makes me wanna go back!!
Thanks Helene. Writing this post made me want to go back too 🙂