Places to Eat in Phetchabun
All things tamarind
A trip to Phetchabun wouldn’t be complete without a ful immersion into the tamarind world. Tamarind is commonly used in everyday cooking all over Thailand, and Phetchabun province is well known for production of some of the best tamarinds in the country. There are two kinds of this fruit; the more sour one which is grown and found everywhere in Thailand and used primarily for the seasoning sauce in many recipes; and the sweet one, which is grown only in several provinces Phetchabun included and because of its delicious flavour mainly used as a snack to be eaten either fresh or with sugar, salt and pepper.
The harvesting season for tamarind is from November till February and this is the best period to learn how important tamarind for this province is, especially at the end of January when the annual tamarind fair is held to celebrate the end of the season with lots of local farmers showing the best products of the recent harvest.
Tamarind is quite easy to preserve and the fruit can be stored in a fridge for months without losing its properties and taste; for this reason it doesn’t really matter at what time of the year you’ll be visiting; take a stroll downtown and tamarinds will be everywhere, and everyone will be more than happy to explain to you (or try to explain to you in a broken English) the countless benefits that the fruit have on your health. You’ll have a chance to taste tamarind juice, buy tamarind candies, or simply taste fresh tamarind on the spot.
Don’t be surprised when you’ll find yourself wondering whether tamarinds are that big everywhere; these are giant sweet tamarinds, and you can find them only in Phetchabun.
Khanom jeen
A famous local recipe that you can’t miss when traveling in Phetchabun is khanom jeen, which is a kind of particularly thin flour noodles, soft and sticky, served with fresh or boiled vegetables and a number of different curries; you’ll usually have a fish curry with coconut milk, a fermented fish curry and a sweet peanut curry.
In the north of the province, Lom Kao district is famous for giving the noodles different colours while preparing them. Bright yellow, pink or violet noodles do look weird, but the different colour is normally due to natural colorants only. Restaurants selling khanom jeen are everywhere in town and around the province, make sure you give it a try.
Grilled chicken
Finally for all the meat lovers, Phetchabun will delight you with the exquisite gai yang wichian buri (grilled chicken). Wichian Buri is a district in the south of the province, and home to this peculiar way to grill chicken. The biggest secret is the use of regional ingredients to marinate the chicken overnight before cooking it and a terrific sauce made of tamarind (no surprise), garlic, chilli, sugar and salt. The chicken comes out extra juicy and the skin is crispy and tasty. The grilled salty chicken is served everywhere, in restaurants and food stalls, and it pairs perfectly with papaya salad and sticky rice.
If you’re visiting during August and September try to stop in Wichian Buri; this is the time where lots of festivals take place and gai yang is the biggest star.
Where to eat in Phetchabun
When you arrive in Phetchabun, head to the city centre where the clock tower is. Here is where the majority of street vendors and simple Thai restaurants are located and you’ll have a chance to try not only khanom jeen and gai yang, but all the most common dishes of Thai cuisine at cheap prices.
If you’re craving for Western food instead, unfortunately Phetchabun is not the best place to be; some of the hotels and guesthouses will offer burgers, fries and pizzas but don’t expect anything above average.
