Tam chin haeng is a local delicacy which has been spot lit this week after winning a ‘Thai Lost Taste Award’ from the Ministry of Culture.
Tam chin haeng, cited as a lost taste, is being highlighted as a rare Lanna treasure and since the announcement, many local shops selling northern Thai food have been reporting brisk trade. This dish, similar in herbs and spices to the classic laab, uses dried beef or pork, pounding it together with the herbs and spices before being mixed with a small amount of stock.
However, many local restaurants and food bloggers are saying that this dish never was lost, as locals have been eating it all along. It is now merely found by the central government.
However, the governor of Chiang Mai has cited this as a ‘soft power’ of Chiang Mai and invited the media to taste the dish as the famous Krua Petch Doi Ngam Restaurant.