5 Best Thai Foods for Visitors to Try – Exquisite Treats for the Taste Buds 

An outstanding choice with which to start your experience of Thai dishes would be the popular som tam. This would be a spicy salad of papaya that is often eaten with fried or grilled chicken and sticky rice. The principal ingredient in this dish would be shredded unripened papaya; this ingredient would be mixed and pounded with birds-eye chilli, lime, tomatoes, palm sugar, dried shrimp, fish sauce and garlic in a mortar and pestle. There would also be several regional variations of this dish for foreign visitors to try and interestingly, many Thais would patronize a certain vendor of som tam who makes the dish in the manner that they prefer. 

Pad Thai would be another iconic local dish that visitors should undoubtedly take the opportunity to savour. This dish would basically consist of rice noodles that are stir-fried with egg, beansprouts, peanuts, tofu, chilli and shrimp; you would also find different versions of this popular dish that are prepared by the chefs of Thailand. Pad Thai may be regarded as a signature dish of the nation and would be frequently ordered by both locals as well as visitors to the country.

Perhaps the best-known Thai dish around the world would be tom yum goong, also sometimes called tom yam kung. This flavourful dish would be known for its special combination of sour, spicy and sweet elements. This zesty soup would be made with tender shrimp, galangal, coconut milk, crushed chilli, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chilli paste, fish sauce and palm sugar. Enjoying a hot bowl of this soup with fragrant steamed rice would be one of the highlights offered by Thai cuisine. When seeking the best hotels in Pattaya, consider an accommodation where you could enjoy this dish such as Avani Pattaya Resort.

The distinctive larb gai would be the kind of dish where it would be possible to experience all of the different flavours in a single bite. This culinary creation which has its origins in the nation of Laos would be comparatively simple to prepare. Larb gai would include minced ground chicken, mint, chilli, fish sauce, ground sticky rice and shallots or spring onions; these ingredients would be combined with freshly squeezed lime juice to create a spicy, light and refreshing dish. Larb gai would typically be served along with steamed sticky rice and lettuce. 

You would find this much-loved dish at virtually every restaurant serving Thai food and it would be a great choice for a hearty, inexpensive and tasty meal. The basic ingredients would be minced pork, chilli paste, shallots, chillies, holy basil, fish sauce, sugar and soy sauce. These uncomplicated ingredients would be combined and stir-fried to create an aromatic dish that foreigners to Thailand are likely to enjoy. This would also be a good example of the simplicity and exquisite blend of flavours which characterize the local cuisine.