Thai ethnic women are refined and skillful in preparing food.

From simple, readily available ingredients from home gardens, fish ponds, fields, and even forest products, through skillful hands and meticulous seasoning, attractive dishes are created, appealing in both appearance and taste. Ms. Lo Thi Thuong, from Chieng An ward, City, shared: "Traditional dishes of the Thai ethnic group have been passed down from generation to generation, preserving the cooking methods, principles of ingredient selection, and spices... Although simple, the combination of ingredients and spices in the dishes is based on the principles of yin and yang and the five elements, with a harmonious balance of hot and cold, and a balance of sour, spicy, bitter, salty, and sweet flavors... balanced in nutrition, good for the body, and stimulating the taste buds to make the dishes more appealing."

A feast with the flavors of the mountains and forests.

In Son La, many tourists are impressed by the distinctive dishes of the Thai ethnic cuisine. Some dishes, previously simply products created to preserve food year-round, such as smoked meat, smoked meat, or smoked fish, have now become well-known specialties. Many production facilities, recognizing market demand, have processed smoked buffalo and beef, and smoked pork belly according to standards recognized as OCOP products and typical agricultural products of the province; building their own brands to sell to customers near and far, creating high incomes for many families.

The dishes were beautifully presented.

Thai ethnic restaurants are also a popular destination in Son La. Aiming to provide diners with a complete experience of Thai culture, most Thai restaurants in Son La maintain traditional stilt house designs, open spaces that foster community connection, and menus featuring characteristic dishes of the Thai people. These include traditional dishes such as: dried meat, grilled fish, meat wrapped in leaves and grilled, fish salad, bamboo rice, bon soup, and vón vén leaf soup… They prioritize fresh and readily available ingredients to create a unique culinary experience for local tourism.

Five-colored sticky rice

Mr. La Van Phong, Director of Quynh Nhai Travel Joint Stock Company, said: "To serve tourists experiencing tourism in the Quynh Nhai lake area, the company provides food and beverage services on Uy Phong Bay and Heart Island, with a menu of traditional local dishes, creatively prepared but still retaining the distinctive flavors of the Thai ethnic group, catering to diverse tastes. Especially noteworthy is the Da River fish cuisine, using ingredients from the seafood raised in the lake, ensuring freshness and deliciousness."

The traditional cuisine of the Thai ethnic group changes with the seasons, featuring dishes made from mountain produce such as bitter and sweet bamboo shoots, or flowers familiar to highland life like bauhinia and bo pip flowers, along with seasonal vegetables. Many dishes use simple ingredients, such as vegetables harvested from home gardens or fields, transformed into unique and appealing salads. Similarly, soups prepared in different ways to cool down in the summer or warm the stomach in the winter each have their own unique flavors.

Grilled fish and other delicious dishes made from simple, local ingredients.

In particular, one cannot overlook the rich and unique spices of the Thai ethnic group. Perhaps only the Thai people possess the secret of using mắc khén (a type of spice), garlic, and chili peppers—spicy, pungent spices—to harmonize the flavors of characteristic mountain dishes like bát chẳm chéo (a type of dipping sauce), or to create fish sauce and other fermented fish pastes from simple ingredients, preserved year-round to enhance the taste of meals. Thai women are not only sophisticated in their cooking but also skillful and creative in arranging the feast to impress every diner. All of this has created the culinary culture of the Thai people, forming a distinctive product that attracts tourists to Son La.

Decorating the offering tray at the Hoa Ban Festival in Van Ho district in 2024.

Ms. Ha Thi Thanh Tram, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City attending the 2024 Hoa Ban Festival in Van Ho District, excitedly said: "I was particularly impressed with the cultural space of the ethnic groups recreated within the framework of the festival, especially the display of traditional dishes. The dishes were elaborately prepared, beautifully presented, and had delicious and appealing flavors. I was truly surprised by the talent and skill of the ethnic people in preparing these dishes."

Thai ethnic cuisine is formed from the needs of daily life, from the culmination and refinement of the essence of a long historical development, and has been preserved and passed down through generations. Along with creativity and adaptation to the demands of modern life, Thai ethnic cuisine today is becoming an indispensable part of attracting tourists to Son La.

Thanh Dao

Thai ethnic cuisine – an attraction for tourism in Son La (baosonla.org.vn)