One of the best things about traveling abroad is trying new food! There are lots of foods in Thailand that we’ve never tried before. From durian to spicy pork potato chips to squid ink spaghetti, we’re doing a lot of experimenting! Sometimes it’s intimidating (durian … that smell!), sometimes it’s familiar foods in new flavors, and sometimes it’s just plain different (flowers in sauce, anyone?). Here’s a sampling of Thai foods that were new to us.
What new foods did you love (or hate) in Thailand?
Pineapple with spicy minced pork topping. It starts out sweet, with a spicy kick at the end.
These are thin crackers with a pineapple paste inside. Pretty yummy. They were recommended by one of our Thai friends.
Purchased somewhere between the Hua Hin Hills Winery and Hua Hin.
Squid ink spaghetti. Looks horrible but it’s tasty. Daughter ordered this last night, said it was pretty good. Eaten in Hua Hin.
Mangosteen, daughter’s new favorite fruit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in the U.S., not even in Asian grocery stores.
Jackfruit, about double or more the size of a pineapple. The largest tree fruit in existence, some predict that it will take the place of wheat because of global warming. In the U.S. we’ve seen it as a meat substitute in foods like tacos.
McDonald’s caters to local tastes. Here in Thailand, it’s spicy Korean-style fish bites.
The snack companies also cater to local tastes. Honestly, the flavors offered in Asia have far more variety and are more interesting than those we see in American grocery stores. This one is Lay’s seaweek-flavored potato chips.
…. And spicy pork potato chips. Daughter bought these in Bangkok. They were strangely addictive.
Flowers in a slightly sweet sauce. Served to us in a restaurant in Sukkothai.
We also tried the infamous durian, with fresh durian slices mixed in ice cream. It tasted ok but smelled like dirty gym socks. I forgot to take a picture, so Photo credit: FreePik.com.
Breadfruit has been suggested as the fruit that can feed the world. It can withstand high temperatures, is resistant to most bugs, has a high yield per tree, and the trees require little maintenance. We tried it; breadfruit DOES taste amazingly like bread. Again, I forgot to take a picture, so this one is from foodandwine.com.