Because of the cooler mountain climate, there is a lager variety of vegetables than in other regional Thai cuisines, and roots and herbs have a strong presence. There are many sour and bitter flavoures, especially apparent in the soups, such as Kaeng ho, a soup made with pickled bamboo shoot.
The influence of neighboring Myanmar and Laos is a strong one in the cuisine. People of the North prefer glutinous rice to white rice, rolling it into balls with their hands, and dipping into dishes and sauces. Somtam, the spicy green papaya salad highly popular in the Northeast, is also a familiar dish in the North.