Northern Thailand

The north was the independent Lanna kingdom until the late 19th century, and its food still feels like its own cuisine. The mountains are cooler, coconuts are scarce, and the cooking leans on dried spices, herbs, pork and bitter greens instead of coconut milk.

Burmese, Shan and Yunnanese influences run through it, most clearly in dishes like khao soi and gaeng hang lay.

Flavours

Less sweet than central cooking, often salty, bitter and herbal. Curries are usually thin and coconut-free. Dried chillies, garlic, makhwaen (a local prickly ash with a numbing, citrus heat) and fermented soybean discs (thua nao) give the region its taste.

Signature dishes

• Khao soi: curry noodle soup with crispy noodles
• Sai oua: grilled pork sausage with herbs and curry paste
• Nam prik noom: roasted green chilli dip, eaten with pork crackling and vegetables
• Gaeng hang lay: a Burmese-style pork belly curry with ginger and tamarind
• Khanom jeen nam ngiao: rice noodles in a tomato and pork-rib broth

How people eat

Sticky rice, not jasmine rice, is the staple. It is served in small woven baskets and eaten by hand, pressed into a ball and used to scoop up dips and curries.