Thai cuisine is fresh and flavorful, a balance of sweet, salty, sour and bitter with light preparation and heavy spice.  Strongly influenced by neighboring traditions such as the styles of Laos and Myanmar, Thai cuisine is divided by four different regions  - Northern, Northeastern, Central and Southern, each region known for an emphasis on particular ingredients and tastes shared by the surrounding countries.

Thai curries are some of the most recognizable Thai cuisine outside of the country itself, and these can vary by region as well - Southern Thai curry will often contain coconut milk and turmeric while the Northeastern variation is made with lime juice.  Many staple dishes in Thailand were adapted from the Chinese, such as chok (rice porridge), kuai-tiao rat na (fried rice-noodles) and khao kha mu (stewed pork with rice). Dishes such as kaeng kari (yellow curry) and kaeng matsaman (massaman curry) are Thai adaptations of dishes originating in the cuisine of India and the cuisine of Persia.

Some of the best-loved Thai dishes include:

• Pad Thai (Thai style fried noodles): One of the most well-known dishes outside of Thailand, made in a hot wok with thin or thick noodles, beansprouts, onion and egg, commonly accompanied by fish sauce, sugar, chilli powder and finely ground peanuts.
   
• Tom yum tom yum goong (spicy shrimp soup): A soup made with lemongrass, chilli, galangal, lime leaves, shallots, lime juice, fresh prawns, straw mushrooms and fish sauce.
   
• Som tum (spicy green papaya salad): Chilies, garlic, green beans, cherry tomatoes and shredded raw papaya are ground with a mortar and pestle, producing a distinctive, sharp flavor sometimes enhanced with dry shrimp, peanuts and salted crab.
   
• Gaeng keow wan kai (green chicken curry): Made with fresh chicken, small eggplants, bamboo shoots, coriander, and basil while green curry paste is stirred into hot coconut milk to give the dish its signature hue and taste.
   
• Tom kha kai (chicken in coconut soup): A soup of chilies, sliced galangal (blue ginger), crushed shallots, lemongrass and strips of chicken, rounded out with coconut milk to balance the spicy heat.
   
• Gaeng daeng (red curry): Red curry paste provides the signature color and body, blended with coconut milk, meat, and thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves to produce a rich, aromatic curry.
   
• Khao pad (fried rice): A simple dish of fried rice, egg, onion and herbs typically served with prawns, crab or chicken.
   
• Yam nua (spicy beef salad): Made with onion, coriander, spearmint, lime, dried chili and strips of spicy beef.
   
• Pak boong (morning glory): A leafy vegetable found throughout Southeast Asia, served in Thailand with cloves of garlic, chilies, oyster sauce, fish sauce and fermented black bean.
   
• Kai med ma muang (chicken with cashew nuts): Sauteed chicken is cooked with roasted cashews, sweet soy sauce, onions, chilies, pepper, carrot, mushrooms, and sweetened with honey.