A meeting of the Phuket Provincial food selection committee was held at Phuket Provincial Hall on Tuesday (May 26) to consider local dishes for inclusion in the Ministry of Culture’s ‘1 Province, 1 Menu, Celebrating Local Food’ campaign.
The meeting, held at Provincial Hall, was chaired by Phuket Vice Governor Suwit Phansengiam. Also attending were Acting Chief of the Phuket Provincial Cultural Office Supawadee Paipakk and Phuket Provincial Cultural Council Chairman Somsak Sophanon.
The initiative forms part of the fiscal 2026 project to promote and develop local cuisine as a form of Thai cultural heritage and identity under the ‘Thailand Best Local Food – The Lost Taste’ programme organised by the Department of Cultural Promotion.
Officials explained that the project seeks to identify traditional dishes at risk of disappearing from Thai society, while also preserving local culinary knowledge and wisdom for future generations.
The campaign also aims to promote the use of local ingredients and herbs to create economic value for communities, while encouraging younger people to appreciate and consume traditional local food.
According to officials, dishes submitted for consideration are assessed under five criteria: local identity and wisdom, risk of extinction, use of local ingredients and environmental connection, nutritional and medicinal value of herbs, and potential for creative economic development. The total scoring system carries 100 points.
Six Phuket dishes were submitted for consideration during the meeting: Phuket Stir-fried Coconut Salad with Vegetables, Bie Tai Bug, Phuket Sour Soup, Huat Chu Thung, Southern Cave Fish and Gaeng Tumee.
Officials said the selected dishes reflect the identity, lifestyle and traditional wisdom of Phuket communities.
Phuket Province will now review and select the most outstanding menus in line with the Department of Cultural Promotion’s criteria before forwarding the results to the ministry for further consideration.