Food markets in Thailand are a good way to appreciate the food culture and how rich in food the country is. From Bangkok to Phuket, there are a variety of markets all equally fascinating.

Journeying through Phuket, it is inexcusable to miss the famous weekend night market located just outside of Phuket Town.

Talad Tai Rot is the biggest market in Phuket with over 1000 stalls. The lively, vibrant atmosphere, the inexpensive shopping, and the variety of food stalls attract hundreds of both Thai locals and tourists alike. Swarming with people, this market is not for the faint-hearted.

With an endless selection of goods being sold, people can spend hours after hours touring the huge bazaar.

The market is split into two sections - goods and food. In the goods section, you can find clothes, fashions accessories, electronics, DVD’s, make-up and even live animals.

Being a food junkie, we spent most of our time in the food section. The arrays of food stalls are lined up and packed in a very neat and orderly manner with hundreds of people walking and shouting around them. This is where you really get a taste of local cuisine.

The selection of dishes is never-ending, and walking through all the stalls took a staggering but fascinating two hours. It was impossible to even try a fifth of what the stalls had to offer. In the crowded and jam-packed scene, you will find exotic fruits, fishcakes, fishballs, sweet fried potato and even fried insects.

The food market is never short in supply of fruits and fruit juice. You are sure to bump into a stall selling fresh juice. The Thais are very big on pineapples, but their orange and strawberry juices are comparably tasty.

Cooked in massive woks with liters of oil, for 10 baht, you will get 6 sweet potato balls. Unique in taste and texture, this is definitely worth a try.

Fishballs and Thai salad may seem like an odd combination at first, but once eaten together, the sweet and sour salad dressing mixes relatively well with the saltiness of the fishballs giving a unique sensation of different flavors.

It was quite peculiar to find a few Sushi stalls crammed in the local Thai market, but we gave it a try anyway. The sushi was satisfactory and very inexpensive, although it is advisable to stay away from raw fish in a crowded market for the weak foreign stomach.

Sugar cane stems being made into juice is always fun to witness at a market. The juice is sweet, presumably healthy, and fresh on the taste.

This is the stall where all the tourists crowd over, daring their families and friends to try the local delicacy of fried insects. Not brave enough to try, we quickly escaped.

Home-made Thai comfort food to choose from. Given a plate of rice, you are able to choose the side dishes – veggies, meat, potatoes, and noodles.

For people who are not too experimental with their food, you can always find roasted chicken and sausage sticks that you can guarantee will taste good.

Thai Pancakes are famous in Thailand and you can find them not only in markets but also in popular tourist spots such as Kata and Patong. Fried in a wok, your choice of toppings (chocolate, banana, cheese) is soon added after. Although fattening, you will keep coming back for more.

Food markets allow us to be exposed to a completely new world of foods. You get to experience local Thai cuisines as well as the lively vibrant atmosphere. Happy and delightfully full, we are sure to be back.

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Images: Omar Niode Foundation