Tourists, not knowing where to start, will often look for the first menu that they find in English and sometimes this can have its drawbacks. Restaurants catering for tourists often think that farang will not be able to handle the real taste of Thai cuisine and so disguise the flavours that are synonymous with the regional specialities with ingredients they think we will like. For this reason, it is a good idea to befriend a willing local to advise you on what's hot and what's not.

Having said this, visitors often proclaim that the food is the highlight of their Thailand trip and with its masterful combinations of salty, sweet, sour and spicy, it is no wonder. Add to this the medicinal effects and nutritional benefits, and there is nothing that can really be said against Thai food.

But that is not the end of the story when it comes to Thai cuisine. Most westerners are astonished by the low cost of eating out all across Thailand and this is probably why it is rare to find a built in kitchen in a Thai style home.

Thailand's natural resources and tropical climates are able to facilitate the production of almost all food types. Grains, meats, seafood, fresh water fish, vegetable and fruits ? you name it, Thailand grows it and all at unimaginably low costs.

The four main regions of Thailand have their own home-grown specialties and styles of cooking. From the Laotian influences in the northeast, highly seasoned and super spicy with the favourite being a meat salad called larb, to the less mouth burning Burmese influenced northern dishes such as som tam, or papaya salad, and gai yang, barbequed chicken.

The central plains of the country offer a mix of cuisine from all regions and include many Thai-Chinese combinations of flavours, while the southern specialities are designed to make your mouth catch fire. Recommendable restaurants in Bangkok In the south, you will find Malaysian influences that include the delectable gaeng masaman, or masaman curry, and Indonesian specialities such as chicken sate, or kebab, served with peanut sauce.

Most Thai meals are eaten in groups, where one person will decide on a range of dishes for everyone, which are then placed in the centre of the table. Each member of the party receives a bowl of rice and takes a single bite-sized helping from the centre plates throughout the course of the meal. Typically, a meal ordered in this manner will include a soup, a fish - steamed or fried whole in herbs ? a yam (spicy salad) and a curry dish. Visitors are often surprised to learn that Thai people use a spoon and fork and not chopsticks for eating.

For a quick yet healthy meal, Thai fast food shops are located in all cities, towns and villages. Their main offerings include dishes such as phad thai (fried noodles with meat and vegetable), khao phad (fried rice with meat and vegetables) or something like phad khrapao (basil stir fried with a mix of minced pork or chicken and vegetables).

The range of fruits growing freely and abundantly in Thailand is sometimes a little too exciting for the common fruit fanatic. The tropical climate means that the country has no end of species of fruit in a startling range of sizes, shapes, colours and flavours. From the vibrant pinks of the dragon fruit to the prickly looking shells of the rambutan, photo opportunities are an added bonus to the delight of fruit shopping in Thailand.

Desserts in Thailand are not taken to end a meal but instead are enjoyed at random times throughout the day. Most desserts include coconut in some shape or form, rice flour, palm sugar and eggs. Favourites are thong yip, a sweet egg yolk cup; foi thong, shredded, sweetened egg yolk, and tako, a jelly served with creamy coconut.