What is in season in Chiang Mai. and what to order when the market changes.
Spring
- Mango and sticky rice: Nam Dok Mai and Ok Rong mangoes peak March to May, sold with coconut sticky rice at every market just as the hot season arrives.
- Cicada and hot-season grilling: The hot, hazy March-April stretch is peak season for grilled meats, som tam and cooling herbal drinks like roselle and butterfly-pea, sold cold at the walking streets.
Summer
- Durian and rambutan: Green season (June to August) brings the tropical fruit glut to Warorot Market: durian, mangosteen, longan and rambutan trucked in from the orchards around the north.
- Foraged mushrooms and bamboo: The early rains push wild mushrooms (het thop, het khon) and fresh bamboo shoots into the markets, cooked into northern curries and the herbal soup gaeng khae.
Autumn
- Jay vegetarian festival food: During the nine-day Vegetarian Festival (late September to October) yellow-flagged jay stalls take over Warorot and the markets, serving meat-free curries, mock-meat noodles and vegetable dishes.
- Longan harvest: Northern Thailand's longan capital is nearby Lamphun; the late-summer-into-autumn harvest floods Chiang Mai markets with fresh and dried lam yai used in drinks and desserts.
Winter
- Yi Peng festival sweets: November's Yi Peng and Loy Krathong festivals fill the walking streets with khanom, grilled snacks and lantern-lit food stalls during the best-weather cool season.
- Cool-season herbs and greens: The dry cool season (November to February) is peak for northern vegetables and herbs, nam prik dips with fresh crudites, and warming curries like gaeng hang lay.