Tom yam goong, Thailand 

Reader Supot Sakulwongtana made it clear that "delicious includes a little bit hot." A little bit hot is right because you need room for a load more flavors too.

This Thai masterpiece teems with shrimp, mushrooms, tomatoes, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. Usually loaded with coconut milk and cream, the hearty soup unifies a host of favorite Thai tastes: sour, salty, spicy and sweet. Best of all is the price: cheap.

Pad thai, Thailand 

Here's a food Thai people can't live without. 

Similar to Bulgogi (see #22), pad Thai is packed with nutrients stirred into one glorious fried-noodle dish.

The secret's in the sauce -- tamarind paste. If anyone ever creates a Hall of Food Fame, that should be first on the list.

Som tam (Papaya salad), Thailand 

After reading reader Kun Chotpakdeetrakul's comment, "Papaya salad and som tam [are] the same thing. You should combine vote for these two together," we did just that, pushing som tam to just 80 votes shy of the top five.

To prepare Thailand's iconic salad, pound garlic and chilies with a mortar and pestle. Toss in tamarind juice, fish sauce, peanuts, dried shrimp, tomatoes, lime juice, sugar cane paste, string beans and a handful of grated green papaya.

Massaman curry, Thailand 

Although not the world's most delicious food, it is still emphatically the king of curries. Spicy, coconutty, sweet and savory, its combination of flavors has more personality than a Thai election.

Even the packet sauce you buy from the supermarket can make the most delinquent of cooks look like a Michelin potential. Thankfully, someone invented rice, with which diners can mop up the last drizzles of curry sauce.

“The Land of Smiles” isn’t just a marketing tag-line. It’s a result of being born in a land where the best curry is sold on nearly every street corner.