Thai cuisine is regularly regarded as boasting some of the finest combinations of fiery flavours of any country on the planet. In fact, when chef, author and intrepid traveller Anthony Bourdain tasted Thai cooking for the first time, he remarked: "It was like discovering a colour I never knew existed before. A whole new crayon box full of colours." High praise indeed, which makes it no surprise that Bourdain frequently returned to the country to fill up on its delicious delicacies and mouth-searingly spicy dishes, filming no fewer than four episodes of culinary travel programmes there.
If you want to follow in Bourdain's footsteps, try this
highest rated food tour in Bangkok or meet the famous Cowboy Hat Lady on our
Chiang Mai food tour.
His first visit came in 2003 in the 11th episode of the second season of his debut television show, A Cook's Tour, when he spent several days soaking up the irresistible aromas and flavours of northern Thai cooking in Chiang Mai. He would return to Thailand in the last episode of that same season, filling an eight-hour layover in Bangkok with as many food stalls, freaky fancies and exotic specialties as he could. Six years later, Anthony Bourdain's Bangkok adventure would continue with a return to the capital for an extended shoot for episode 16 of season five of No Reservations, before coming back one last time to Chiang Mai in 2014 for episode eight of season three of Parts Unknown.
Over those four episodes, Bourdain got holed up in his hotel during political riots, gate-crashed a family get-together in the backwater boondocks in the north of the country, partook of local traditions by receiving a Sak Yan tattoo, was attacked and shaken down for any spare fruits by a mob of monkeys, kissed a ladyboy square on the lips and, needless to say, dined out at a wide variety of restaurants, shacks, food stalls and hugely hospitable homes. For those looking to beat the same path on their next sojourn to the country, here's a rundown of Anthony Bourdain's Thailand route.
