Food and drink แกงมัสมั่น gaeng-mát-sà-màn
massaman curry noun
- gaeng mid
- mát high
- sà low
- màn low
- High: start high and go a little higher, a bit tense; don’t let it fall.
- Low: flat and lower than your normal voice, dropping a little at the end.
How to use it
A rich, mildly sweet curry from Thailand's Muslim kitchens, made with coconut milk and dry spices like cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, with potatoes, peanuts and chicken or beef. CNN Travel ranks it number one on its list of the world's 50 best foods.
The name is said mát-sà-màn, ending on a low tone even though the spelling looks falling.
Other spellings you'll see
There's no single official way to write Thai in English letters. We mark the tone of every syllable; online you'll also find:
- massaman
- matsaman
- mussaman
- masaman
- gaeng massaman
- kaeng matsaman
More food and drink in Thai
All food and drink- ข้าว kâao Rice
- ข้าวเหนียว kâao-nǐaw Sticky rice
- ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง kâao-nǐaw má-mûang Mango sticky rice
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Written by the Learn Thai For Free team
Audio: AI voices, quality-checked for tones