Northern Thai food is a world away from the dishes you’ve probably encountered at your local Thai restaurant at home – or even in Bangkokfor that matter. The food of the north is indicative of the region's seasonal and relatively cool climate, not to mention a love for pork, veggies and all things deep-fried. Traditionally, the residents of Thailand's north ate almost exclusively kôw nĕe•o, sticky rice, known in the local dialect as kôw nêung. Coconut milk rarely makes its way into the northern kitchen, and northern Thai cuisine is probably the most seasonal and least spicy of Thailand's regional schools of cooking, often relying on bitter or other dried spice flavours.