The Central Plains
The dishes that come from the Central Plains are renowned for their variety and delectable tastes, which incorporate the royal and ordinary folk's traditional consumption styles, as well as foreign dishes: Chinese, Indian, Western, and Japanese, most of whom first came to Siam during the Ayutthaya period. Some dishes have been modified and are now included in the daily meals. Besides, all dishes are beautifully and appetizingly presented, thanks to the influence of the Royal Household, whose chefs are famous for their neat handiwork, their meticulous selection of ingredients and condiments, and their particular cooking methods, so the end results are well-balanced in flavor and beautifully presented. If vegetables are used in cooking or dipped in sauces, they are carved and decorated beautifully.
The taste of the Central Plains dishes is distinctive because they combine sour, sweet, salty, and spicy. Most central Thai people prefer well-balanced flavors with a hint of sweetness. Most importantly, they "cut sugar" by adding palm sugar after the food is cooked to enhance the taste. Well-known Thai dishes among foreigners are mostly from the central region. They are modified more than the dishes from other regions are to please consumer's palates.
Some of the Central Plains dishes are complicated to cook and to present. There are various cooking methods' but the most popular ones are boiling, sauteing, and deep-frying. Coconut milk is used in all types of curry. The central region's staple feature is rice, which is eaten mainly with spicy dips and fresh or boiled vegetables.
In the past, the local folks' dishes did not need any special ingredients or condiments. Later, when they came into contact with more foreigners, foreign dishes came marching into the Thai kitchen, such as kaeng khiao wan (green curry), the popular spicy coconut milk curry incorporating spices from India.
However, the central region's dishes are also influenced by the royal kitchen, the center of cultural exchange, because of its regular contacts with foreigners who visited the royal heads of state.