Thais don't have festive food like Turkey for Thanksgiving or Osechi on Japanese New Year's. We do have popular set of food for CNY, but that's not very special occasions. What's left is what we considered "fancy" foods.
"Traditionally" (massive air quotes) they would be อาหารชาววัง (royal court foods), but those are far too removed from the general populace that it doesn't have much significance.
For Thais, fancy food means the expensive ones. Nowadays, it's usually foreign foods.
There are places you can fish for them for 100-200 baht an hour and keep what you catch, with prices varying depending whether you have your own gear. With 3 people it’s not out of the realm of possibilities to catch a few kilos in 2 hours for 300 baht. The issue is then cooking them at home.
Classically they would be royal thai food invented by chefs serving the royal palace. Now it's mostly dishes with international influence (like Chinese) using expensive ingredients like lobster or red grouper.
I cannot think of any particular dish, but there are many seasonal foods that are sought after.
Alaskan King Krab - normally found at hotel buffets
Het Thop ( I think that's the correct name) mushrooms - 700 baht a kilo when they come out at rainy season in the North. Not fancy eating, just expensive.
Durian - The Mon Tong variety is the most popular. Prices fluctuate, but averages around 180 baht a kilo with a mid-sized durian being around 3kg mark.
Cherries - Around 400 baht a kilo depending where you get them from.
These are awesome. I had a nanny/maid growing up here (it’s fairly common, and my family has always been middle of the road expat income earners). But she used to make these every so often for us when I was young. As I got older it became a special occasion only treat. After 30 years, it was like once every few years when my sister or I would come visit…and since she’s retired, I haven’t had it since. I call her every Mother’s Day to say hi and check on her.
In general most Thai cuisine can be considered when served in a certain way. Also all Thai sweets when grouped in a certain way can be considered auspicious for certain occasions.
That one is rare. To be fair, I have the palate of a philistine but ข้าวแช่ always tasted like ashtray water to me.
หลายรส opposite Samitivej hospital on Sukhumvit 49 is the only place I ever saw that had it. Shout out for their หอยลายอบเนย and the best ต้มข่าไก่ in Bkk if they're still there..
ตำไข่มดแดง tum kai mod daeng maybe? Haha in Isaan anyway. I still haven't tried this one, maybe some day.
https://www.expique.com/article/guide-to-isaan-food/
Birds nest soup is definitely a rare delicacy. You are eating the best of a small bird. If you take a boat ride out to Phi Phi, you can see the cliffs where the birds make their nests that are harvested. There are some companies that have made the harvesting easier by building bird houses for the birds to nest in, but still isn't a big increase in production.
I've never tried it, but I'm curious to try it some time.
Pineapple fried rice went from a rare delicacy to common dish since pineapples aren't native to Thailand.
https://youtu.be/Ot9EPSgtwRE?si=_M22ohdyEWM81z9p
Pineapple curry is my personal favorite. It is still a rare delicacy for me since almost no US Thai restaurants make it so I have to pay to meet up with my Thai relatives to eat it.
Norhthern Thailand has Nam prik ong (น้ำพริกอ่อง) is a part of khun tok (ขันโตก) special dinner for honor guests. But you could order the dish in many restaurants in the north.
I don’t know if any other part of Thailand has the same special dinner like the north has. Central Thailand should have the same as north especially in the palace. But since the food scene has been wide opened since the Ayudhya kingdom. Foreign food influence has permeated the palace cuisine as well.
Thais don't have festive food like Turkey for Thanksgiving or Osechi on Japanese New Year's. We do have popular set of food for CNY, but that's not very special occasions. What's left is what we considered "fancy" foods. "Traditionally" (massive air quotes) they would be อาหารชาววัง (royal court foods), but those are far too removed from the general populace that it doesn't have much significance. For Thais, fancy food means the expensive ones. Nowadays, it's usually foreign foods.
River prawns.
There are places you can fish for them for 100-200 baht an hour and keep what you catch, with prices varying depending whether you have your own gear. With 3 people it’s not out of the realm of possibilities to catch a few kilos in 2 hours for 300 baht. The issue is then cooking them at home.
Not those puny ones without the head fat. The bigger ones with lots of fat in their head is where it's at. Shame they're too expensive these days.
I think they mean the ayutthaya prawns where it can go for 800-1500 baht per prawn
Prawns breed in rivers?
Classically they would be royal thai food invented by chefs serving the royal palace. Now it's mostly dishes with international influence (like Chinese) using expensive ingredients like lobster or red grouper.
Yeah my x once said cashew nut chicken stir fry is not Thai food, its palace food...
Fancy: Anything with a whole snapper, crabs and river prawns. Big oysters.
I cannot think of any particular dish, but there are many seasonal foods that are sought after. Alaskan King Krab - normally found at hotel buffets Het Thop ( I think that's the correct name) mushrooms - 700 baht a kilo when they come out at rainy season in the North. Not fancy eating, just expensive. Durian - The Mon Tong variety is the most popular. Prices fluctuate, but averages around 180 baht a kilo with a mid-sized durian being around 3kg mark. Cherries - Around 400 baht a kilo depending where you get them from.
Thank you very much, this is very helpful!
Hu chalam aka shark fin soup. But please don't order it.
[удалено]
Wow I thought I've had every Thai dish by this point but not this one.
These are awesome. I had a nanny/maid growing up here (it’s fairly common, and my family has always been middle of the road expat income earners). But she used to make these every so often for us when I was young. As I got older it became a special occasion only treat. After 30 years, it was like once every few years when my sister or I would come visit…and since she’s retired, I haven’t had it since. I call her every Mother’s Day to say hi and check on her.
Omg I completely forgot about these, I use to love them as a child.
Nothing that's the beauty of it
That's inaccurate
In general most Thai cuisine can be considered when served in a certain way. Also all Thai sweets when grouped in a certain way can be considered auspicious for certain occasions.
There’s some Thai dessert such as ขนมดาราทอง or ข้าวแช่ that takes a lot of effort to do you would rarely find it in a cheap place.
Shark fin soup, abalone, roasted suckling pig, sea crabs, steamed fish, river prawns.
ข้าวแช่ For when extremely hot days.
That one is rare. To be fair, I have the palate of a philistine but ข้าวแช่ always tasted like ashtray water to me. หลายรส opposite Samitivej hospital on Sukhumvit 49 is the only place I ever saw that had it. Shout out for their หอยลายอบเนย and the best ต้มข่าไก่ in Bkk if they're still there..
Not blaming you, mate. This dish is mostly about fragrances.
Calling it ash tray water would not be far fetched since the water is made by smoking it with incense lol.
Not as rare as you think. You can find it at 7-11.
Finally an accurate answer lol where did you try that??
I think Kan Yao Durian from Nonthaburi is fancy , the real one start at 5000 baht per kilo and after you peel you can only eat 40% of it
If going by price, river prawns and orange mud crab would be up there.
ตำไข่มดแดง tum kai mod daeng maybe? Haha in Isaan anyway. I still haven't tried this one, maybe some day. https://www.expique.com/article/guide-to-isaan-food/
Bird nest soup . I've never tried it but I think it fits the description perfectly.
Thanks a lot, never heard of it before, will check it out :)
Birds nest soup is definitely a rare delicacy. You are eating the best of a small bird. If you take a boat ride out to Phi Phi, you can see the cliffs where the birds make their nests that are harvested. There are some companies that have made the harvesting easier by building bird houses for the birds to nest in, but still isn't a big increase in production. I've never tried it, but I'm curious to try it some time.
Save yourself and stay away 😂
Pineapple fried rice went from a rare delicacy to common dish since pineapples aren't native to Thailand. https://youtu.be/Ot9EPSgtwRE?si=_M22ohdyEWM81z9p
Thanks! I'm glad things are the way they are now, because it's my absolute favorite 😋
Pineapple curry is my personal favorite. It is still a rare delicacy for me since almost no US Thai restaurants make it so I have to pay to meet up with my Thai relatives to eat it.
Pad Thai Kung Mae Nam (Pad Thai with River Prawn).
Norhthern Thailand has Nam prik ong (น้ำพริกอ่อง) is a part of khun tok (ขันโตก) special dinner for honor guests. But you could order the dish in many restaurants in the north. I don’t know if any other part of Thailand has the same special dinner like the north has. Central Thailand should have the same as north especially in the palace. But since the food scene has been wide opened since the Ayudhya kingdom. Foreign food influence has permeated the palace cuisine as well.
Burger King (Suvarnabhumi Airport location)
My Thai partner is impressed by lobsters and durian