Larb Mueang — Northern Spiced Larb / ลาบเมือง

Northern Thai (Lanna) — the dish is closely associated with Chiang Mai and the mountain tribal cooking of the North; the spice profile reflects Yunnan Chinese and Shan culinary influence

Northern larb (larb mueang, larb Lanna) is a completely different dish from Isaan larb despite sharing the same name and concept. Where Isaan larb uses lime juice as the primary acid and fresh herbs as the dominant flavour, Northern larb uses roasted dry spices (makhwaen — Zanthoxylum limonella, the Thai prickly ash — dried chilli, galangal, lemongrass, coriander seed) that are toasted and ground into a coarse powder, creating a warm, aromatic, slightly numbing profile. Offal (intestine, liver, bile, tripe) is incorporated in the traditional version alongside minced pork or venison. It is served at room temperature with sticky rice and is less sour and more spiced than its Isaan counterpart.

• Burmese wet tha yet thoke (minced meat salad) uses a similar dry spice approach; Shan cuisine's roasted spice-based meat preparations are the direct cultural precursors.

Northern larb demonstrates that Thai cuisine is not a single tradition but a family of related traditions — the Lanna culinary culture is as distinct from Central Thai as Cantonese is from Sichuan.