I’ll admit that while I was trekking around Thailand, I was a bit intimated by all the different foods — specifically, Thai street food. Yet I was intrigued—so intrigued! I just didn’t know where to start…

Most people are familiar with Pad Thai or the many curries, but when you dive deeper into Thai culture and cuisine, you’ll find there are so many incredible dishes just bursting with flavor.

Thai food is complex; it’s known to be sweet, sour, and spicy—all at the same time.

Curious about what the essential flavors are? You’ll often find ginger, turmeric, basil, garlic, a sprinkling of peanuts, and even coconut!

Oftentimes the best way to get a taste for culture is by sampling the local cuisine, but sometimes you aren’t sure what meals are must-haves.

To cut out the confusion, I’m dishing up this guide to 10 local foods you need to try in Thailand!

Pad Thai or Phad Thai is a stir-fried noodle dish commonly served as street food and at most restaurants in Thailand. The typical ingredients you’ll find? Rice noodles, eggs, tofu, fish sauce, shrimp, garlic, red chili pepper, and peanuts!

This meal was actually listed at number five on the “World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods” readers’ poll done by CNN.

Quite honestly, I’m not surprised! Pad Thai is a staple and if you’re just getting introduced to Thai cuisine, it’s a great place to start!

DON’T FRET: THE LONG NAME MEANS GREEN CHICKEN CURRY

The “green” part of the name comes from the color of the green chilies.

As you might have guessed, there are other colorful curries! Some popular ones include red and yellow—each with their own unique flavor and spice level. We’ll get to that next!

Green curry is typically served with a heaping portion of rice (to soak up the soup-like quality).

Yam Nua

Yam Nua is a spicy beef salad. Yam literally means “mix,” which is fitting for this mixed salad.

Using skirt steak, onion, coriander, spearmint, lime, and dried chili, it perfectly embodies the invigorating flavors of Thai salads.

Laap/Larb

Laap or Larb is a savory meat salad—don’t let the name scare you away.

It might be a bit messy, but that’s part of the fun. It’s a zesty combination of lime juice, chili flakes, fish sauce, minced pork and a bunch of herbs, which give it a truly refreshing flavor. Oh, and it just so happens to be known as the “unofficial” dish of Laos.

The minced meat is typically eaten with sticky rice, though depending on the region you visit, it’s prepared in a few different ways. There are cooked and raw versions…but for the sake of your stomach, I highly recommend just trying the cooked version!

Best way to eat it? With your hands!

Grab sticky rice in your palm with a bit of Laap and firmly shape it before washing it down with a cold beer. You’ll be feeling like a local in no time. 😉