What is worth buying at a Thai supermarket or wet market, and what do the fish sauces and curry pastes actually do?

Fish sauce is the whole cuisine in one bottle

Nam pla is fermented fish sauce and it is not interchangeable with soy. It is salt, savoury depth and aroma at once, and it goes into almost everything that is not sweet.

Look for first-press or premium grades, which are clearer and smell cleaner than the cheapest bottles. The label usually states the fish used and the province; Phu Quoc-style and Rayong products are common.

Prik nam pla is the table condiment made from fish sauce, lime and chopped chilli. You can buy it ready-made, but it is four ingredients and better fresh.

Curry pastes, and the difference between them

Red and green pastes are the two you will use most. Green is hotter and fresher-tasting, red is rounder and works with beef and duck as well as chicken.

Massaman is the mild, warm-spiced one with cinnamon and cardamom; panang is thicker and sweeter and is used more like a sauce than a soup.

Supermarket pastes in small tins are perfectly decent and travel well. Wet-market paste, ground in front of you, is better but has a short life and should not go in a suitcase.

Supporting cast: coconut milk (buy the thicker first-press tins), palm sugar in dark blocks, and tamarind as a concentrate or a wet block.

What 7-Eleven is actually for

Thailand has one of the densest convenience-store networks anywhere, and the branches are not just for snacks. They are where you buy water in bulk, hot toasties, microwaved rice dishes, and iced drinks served in a plastic bag with a straw.

They are also the reliable place to top up a phone, pay a bill or buy a SIM. For a traveller, that makes them infrastructure rather than a shop.

Seasonal: fruit is the reason to time a trip

Durian runs roughly from spring into summer, with the peak varying by region and cultivar. It is sold whole, opened at the stall, and eaten on the spot — most hotels forbid it indoors.

Mango peaks in the first half of the year, which is when khao niao mamuang (sticky rice and mango) is at its best.

Mangosteen, rambutan, longan and lychee overlap in the hot season. Buying them from a market stall costs a fraction of the supermarket price.

Rose apples, pomelo and banana are available year-round, which is why they show up on every breakfast plate.

Practical notes

Cash is normal at markets, cards are normal in supermarkets and convenience stores.

Produce is usually pre-portioned rather than weighed by the customer; at a wet market you say how much you want and the vendor weighs it.

Plastic bags are used generously and freely, including for a single drink. If that bothers you, carry a cloth bag and say no early.

No tipping at shops, though rounding up is common in restaurants.

Frequently asked questions