Thailand is a culture full of history and some of the most delicious food ever. As we enter 2024, look at the top ten Thai specialities you must try. From spicy curries to refreshing salads, these dishes showcase the excellence of Thai cuisine.

1. Tom Yum Kung

If there's one dish that best represents Thai spice, it's Tom Yum Goong. This soup is iconic because it perfectly combines spicy, sour, and savoury flavours. The key ingredients are fresh shrimp, lemongrass, lemon leaves, galangal, and cayenne pepper. When these herbs are added to the broth, they create a special harmony of flavours that will thrill your taste buds.

2. Pad Thai

Thai food without pad thai is like a desert without water. This fried pasta dish is famous worldwide for its delicious taste and texture. Chow mein is made with shrimp, tofu, bean sprouts, and eggs and topped with a tamarind sauce made from fish sauce, tamarind paste, and palm sugar. Garnished with crushed peanuts and lemon juice, Pad Thai has an amazingly sweet, sour, and salty flavour that will leave you wanting more.

3. Healthy Curry (Kaeng Khiao Wan)

Thai curries are very popular because they have a wonderful taste and aroma. One of the most famous healthy curries in Thailand is green curry. The paste in this curry is made from a blend of green chillies, garlic, lemongrass and other spices. Add the coconut milk, protein of choice and vegetables to the paste and bring to a boil. This creamy curry is served with simple rice. This curry is famous in Thailand for its sweet, spicy, herbal flavours.

4. Som Tum (Papaya Salad)

Are you looking for something refreshing and delicious? Don't worry—som tum (also known as papaya salad) is the way to go. This salad contains various ingredients such as tomatoes, peanuts, chilli, and papaya mixed with lime juice, jaggery, and fish sauce. Som Tum's crunchy texture and vibrant flavour attract locals and tourists alike.

5. Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niew Mamuang)

Mango sticky rice is one of Thailand's most famous desserts. In this dish, ripe mangoes and sticky rice are cooked in sweet coconut milk. The cake is then drizzled with coconut sauce and finished with toasted sesame seeds or mung beans for crunch and texture. These sticky, juicy mangoes are the perfect flavour combination, and the different textures of this dish make it a treat.

6. Massaman Curry

Massaman curry is a delicious dish that reflects the cultural diversity of Thailand. Here, you will find a fusion of Indian and Malay cuisine. This curry is packed with rich and flavorful ingredients like chunks of meat, roasted peanuts, and onions. They are then cooked in a paste made from coconut milk and other spices to create a rich and flavorful curry.

7. Khao Soi

Khao Soi is a dish from Northern Thailand. It is a soup that becomes comfort food after one sip. It consists of egg noodles drowned in a coconut curry broth, topped with slices of chicken or beef, crispy fried noodles, green onions, cilantro, and lime wedges. Creamy coconut milk, aromatic spices, and crunchy fried noodles combine to create a wonderful texture and flavour, which is why Khao Soi is often called "comfort food" in Thailand.

8. Hoy Tod

Today, Hoy Tod is almost synonymous with Thai street oyster omelette, which is both luxurious and comfortable. This dish is made of juicy oysters coated in egg batter, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, served with a delicious sauce made from oyster sauce, soy sauce and a little chilli. Omelettes are often served with fresh bean sprouts and a slightly sour dipping sauce, and the wonderful combination of flavours and textures will satisfy your taste buds.

9. Pra Lad Prik

Seafood lovers will be dazzled by the selection of delicious dishes at Pla Rad Prik. It consists of fried fish coated in a spicy red pepper sauce. The fish, usually tilapia or seabass, is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and pairs perfectly with a spicy red pepper sauce made with garlic, bird's eye chilli, fish sauce and a little sugar to balance the flavour. The plate is garnished with fresh herbs like cilantro and Thai basil, which adds a herby aroma to the dish and complements the spicy and savoury flavours.

10. Kanon Buang

Khanom Buang may be over, but it's still a sweet sensation that's both beautiful and delicious. Thai shortbread, also called Thai shortbread, is a typical Thai finger food made of thin, crispy pancakes filled with a sweet mixture of coconut milk and mung bean paste. The crepe is then carefully folded into a beautiful flower shape and decorated with golden yolk lines for a luxurious feel. In addition to being delicious, Khanom Buang is also a feast for the eyes, which is another reason it should be on your list of Thai desserts.

Conclusion

Thai food is a treasure trove of flavours, and these ten specialities are the best examples of what the country offers. Whether you love to eat and want to try many different dishes or just want to try Thai food, these are the must-try dishes in 2024. So we hope this article is useful to you.