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North (Lanna)
The old Lanna kingdom: sugar-free curries, fistfuls of herbs, Burmese and Yunnanese influence. Sticky rice on the side and almost everything off the grill.
Nothing with that filter in this region — try another.
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Four kitchens in one country: the herbal Lanna north, sticky-rice mortar Isán, refined central Bangkok and the spicy south between two seas. Starting with the 12 essentials.
Every dot is a city with dishes in the guide. Tap to jump to its region.
The old Lanna kingdom: sugar-free curries, fistfuls of herbs, Burmese and Yunnanese influence. Sticky rice on the side and almost everything off the grill.
Nothing with that filter in this region — try another.
The northeast plateau: sticky rice, mortar by mortar, chili without mercy. The cuisine that conquered Bangkok one som tam and larb at a time.
Nothing with that filter in this region — try another.
Bangkok and the Chao Phraya plain: refined Thai, sweet coconut curries and the most famous street food on the planet.
Nothing with that filter in this region — try another.
The strip between two seas: intense fish curries, fearless coconut and spices that arrived with Muslim trade. Chili is not optional here.
Nothing with that filter in this region — try another.
The full country calendar. Green: in season. Orange: peak flavor and price. Pick your arrival month and see what the market will look like. In the tropics the calendar follows the rains (Jun-Nov) and the dry season (Dec-May).
Nam Dok Mai mangoofficial calendar
The king of Thai mangoes: sweet, creamy and nearly fiberless. Look for fruit from Amphawa and Chachoengsao; tree-ripened ones peel in strips by hand.
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Khiao Sawoei green mango~ estimated
The som tam mango: crisp and sour, peeled in strips and dipped in sweet fish sauce (nam pla wan) with chili.
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Mangosteenofficial calendar
The queen of Thai fruits, sweet and perfumed. Choose fruit with a give under gentle pressure; rock-hard pericarps often hide overripe pulp.
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Rambutanofficial calendar
From the south and Chanthaburi (Rong Rian variety), also Surat Thani. Sweet and juicy; eat only the flesh, the bitter seed is discarded.
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Durianofficial calendar
The best fruit comes from Chanthaburi: Chanee (creamy, mild) and Monthong (sweet and dense). Have it opened on the spot; the flesh should yield like butter.
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Longanofficial calendar
Lamphun in the north is the longan capital: small sweet clusters, plus dried longan used in infusions and desserts.
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Lycheeofficial calendar
A very short northern season (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai): buy in April or miss it. Firm fruit with deep red skin.
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Langsat~ estimated
A southern fruit with translucent sweet-sour pulp, sold in clusters. The skin leaks sticky latex: keep it away from the knife you peel with.
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Longkong~ estimated
The langsat's cousin without the sour edge, sweeter and latex-free skin. From the south; eaten by the handful straight from the cluster.
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Pomelo~ estimated
Nakhon Pathom varieties are the juiciest, the base of yum som-o (pomelo salad). Heavy in the hand with a thin rind.
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Santol~ estimated
Spongy sweet-sour flesh: eaten raw with nam pla wan or stewed in Isan's gaeng kati santol curry.
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Marian plum (maprang)~ estimated
A golden season of just a few weeks around Songkran. Sweet like an apricot; premium varieties are sold by the cluster.
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Rose apple (chompu)~ estimated
Crisp and mild, refreshing in the April heat. Market stalls serve it peeled into petals with a sugar and dry-chili dip.
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Jackfruit~ estimated
Buy it pre-peeled in trays: rubbing hands with oil is the only fix for the resin if you open a whole one. The firm flesh goes into khao niao mamuang and ice cream.
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Tamarind~ estimated
Ripe pods from Phetchabun yield the sour pulp behind pad thai and nam makham drink. In January stalls sell tender young tamarind to eat raw with salt-chili-sugar.
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Coconut~ estimated
Year-round: young coconut (ma phrao on) is drunk straight from the shell, mature ones are grated for curry coconut milk. Ratchaburi and Samut Songkhram supply Bangkok.
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Banana~ estimated
Year-round, and variety matters: namwa for cooking (kluay buat chi, khao tom mat) and hom khao for dessert, grilled or in roti.
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Papaya~ estimated
Year-round with a double role: green and shredded for som tam, ripe with lime for dessert. Ask for pre-shredded papaya at the market if you have no mortar.
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The tropics have no spring or autumn: rains (Jun-Nov) and dry season (Dec-May). Almost everything grows year-round, but each vegetable has its good months, and highland crops (Baguio, Benguet) only reach the markets in the dry season. This is the calendar local cooks use.
Lemongrass (takrai)~ estimated
The backbone of tom yum: use only the white lower stalk, bruised to release its aroma. Thick, firm stems from the wet market are best.
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Galangal (kha)~ estimated
Thai 'ginger', hot and pine-fresh, not interchangeable with common ginger: sliced for tom kha kai and pounded into curry pastes. Pick young, pale rhizomes.
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Makrut lime leaf (bai makrut)~ estimated
The unmistakable citrus perfume of tom yum and curries: tear the leaf by hand to release it. The fruit's juice goes into homemade fish sauces and folk remedies.
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Holy basil (kaphrao)~ estimated
The pad kaphrao basil: peppery with a clove note, no substitute will do. Added at the very end of the stir-fry so its punch survives.
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Thai basil (horapa)~ estimated
The green curry basil behind gaeng kiao wan, with an anise finish and purple stems. Holds up to cooking better than holy basil.
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Coriander root~ estimated
The Thai trinity: garlic, white pepper and coriander root pounded together starts nearly any curry or marinade. Ask for pak chi rak, roots still soil-covered.
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Water spinach (pak boong)~ estimated
The star of pad pak boong fuyai (with soy sauce and garlic): crunchy stems flash-fried over high heat. Most abundant in the rainy season.
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Bamboo shootsofficial calendar
The harvest follows the monsoon: fresh in the north and Isan, where they define gaeng nor mai and lab. Boil them first to remove the cyanide bitterness.
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Pea eggplant (makua)~ estimated
The green clusters in Thai curries: boil them 2 minutes before adding or they toughen. Bitter and addictive with nam prik.
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Winged bean (tua pu)~ estimated
Eaten raw in som tam thai and shrimp salads: crisp, tasting between bean and turnip. A rainy-season vegetable.
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Cha-om (spiny acacia)~ estimated
Pungent acacia leaves, an Isan signature: beaten with egg into kai jeaw cha-om omelette. Best in the rains; scarce and pricey in the dry months.
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Banana blossom~ estimated
For yam hua plee salad and northern kaeng yuak: peel the bracts and soak the heart in lime water so it doesn't blacken.
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Taro (peuak)~ estimated
Year-round, best in the rains: fried into chips, simmered in gaeng khi lek, and sweetened in coconut-milk desserts. Raw taro itches: always cook it.
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Pumpkin (fak tong)~ estimated
In stews, stir-fries and the sangkaya fak tong dessert (custard steamed inside the pumpkin). The dry season sweetens it most: buy between December and April.
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Bird's eye chili (pri kee noo)~ estimated
THE Thai chili, in nam prik, som tam and on every table: small, green or red, and always hotter than they look.
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Every card is written by hand and checked against the dish's Wikipedia article and reference recipes. Calories are ranges estimated from the typical recipe (reference: USDA FoodData Central and official food composition tables) and we always say which serving they refer to. Where there is no verified photo of the dish, there is no photo: we do not replace a real dish with a made-up image.
Fruit seasons come from the Philippine Department of Agriculture calendars and local industry (checked 2026-10-02). See something wrong? Write us and we will fix it: we use this guide too.
