Northern Thai food is somewhat different to that eaten in the rest of the country. Northerners prefer sticky rice over steamed, bitter flavours to hot ones, and avoid using coconut milk. The favoured meat is pork, which finds it way into a variety of sausages (cooked or fermented) and whose skin is fried as the ubiquitous snack khaep muu.

Popular dishes include khao soi (a curry noodle soup reputedly of Burmese origin much favouted in Chiang Mai, served with shallots, lime and pickles to add at the table) and nam prik, covering a variety of spicy dips for rice and vegetables.