ThaicuisineisthenationalcuisineofThailand.BlendingelementsofseveralSoutheastAsiantraditions,Thaicookingplacesemphasisonlightlyprepareddisheswithstrongaromaticcomponents.ThespicinessofThaicuisineiswellknown.AswithotherAsiancuisines,balance,detailandvarietyareofgreatsignificancetoThaichefs.Thaifoodisknownforitsbalanceofthreetofourfundamentaltastesensesineachdishortheoverallmeal:sour,sweet,salty,andbitter.

AsanacknowledgedexpertofThaicuisineDavidThompsonexplainsinaninterview:Thaifoodain'taboutsimplicity.It'saboutthejugglingofdisparateelementstocreateaharmoniousfinish.Likeacomplexmusicalchordit'sgottohaveasmoothsurfacebutitdoesn'tmatterwhat'shappeningunderneath.Simplicityisn'tthedictumhere,atall.Somewesternersthinkit'sajumbleofflavours,buttoaThaithat'simportant,it'sthecomplexitytheydelightin.

Thaicuisineismoreaccuratelydescribedasfourregionalcuisinescorrespondingtothefourmainregionsofthecountry:Northern,Northeastern(orIsan),Central,andSouthern,eachcuisinesharingsimilarfoodsorfoodsderivedfromthoseofneighboringcountriesandregions:Burmatothenorthwest,theChineseprovinceofYunnanandLaostothenorth,VietnamandCambodiatotheeastandMalaysiatothesouthofThailand.[citationneeded]Inadditiontothesefourregionalcuisines,thereisalsotheThaiRoyalCuisinewhichcantraceitshistorybacktothecosmopolitanpalacecuisineoftheAyutthayakingdom(1351–1767CE).Itsrefinement,cookingtechniquesanduseofingredientswereofgreatinfluencetothecuisineoftheCentralThaiplains.

ThaicuisineandtheculinarytraditionsandcuisinesofThailand'sneighborshavemutuallyinfluencedoneanotheroverthecourseofmanycenturies.Regionalvariationstendtocorrelatetoneighboringstates(oftensharingthesameculturalbackgroundandethnicityonbothsidesoftheborder)aswellasclimateandgeography.SouthernThaicurrytendtocontaincoconutmilkandfreshturmeric,whilenortheasterndishesoftenincludelimejuice.ThecuisineofNortheastern(orIsan)ThailandissimilartosouthernLaocuisinewhereasnorthernThaicuisinesharesmanydisheswithnorthernLaocuisineandthecuisineofShanstateinBurma.ManypopulardisheseateninThailandwereoriginallyChinesedisheswhichwereintroducedtoThailandmainlybytheTeochewpeoplewhomakeupthemajorityoftheThaiChinese.Suchdishesincludechok(riceporridge),kuai-tiaoratna(friedrice-noodles)andkhaokhamu(stewedporkwithrice).TheChinesealsointroducedtheuseofawokforcooking,thetechniqueofdeep-fryingandstir-fryingdishes,andnoodles,oystersauceandsoybeanproducts.Dishessuchaskaengkari(yellowcurry)[3]andkaengmatsaman(massamancurry)areThaiadaptationsofdishesoriginatinginthecuisineofIndiaandthecuisineofPersia.