🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Almost every Kalasin souvenir is a fermented or preserved food, because Isan people have always made these to eat across the seasons. The upside is that they keep for a long time — easy to carry back to Bangkok by car, or even on a plane if you pack them well. There are only a handful of famous items, but each one has a go-to shop that locals trust. We've picked the best, along with the easiest places to find them.
The Famous Edible Souvenirs
Pork Mam / Beef Mam
The headliner of Kalasin souvenirs — a fermented sausage with a mild sour tang, wrapped in banana leaf or stuffed into casing, with a touch of fat and a soft, chewy texture. It keeps for a month refrigerated. People love hauling it home around New Year, and some shops sell a thousand wraps in a single day. Grill or fry it, eat it with sticky rice, and you're set.
Isan Sausage
A round, rice-fermented sausage with a sour kick, skewered and grilled, eaten with sliced ginger, bird's eye chilies and raw cabbage. Kalasin has several makers selling it in serious volume. Some shops carry both a raw version to take home and grill yourself, and a fully grilled version ready to eat on the spot.
Lampao Dam Fermented Fish (Pla Som)
Tilapia raised in floating pens on Lampao Dam, salt-fermented with seasoning for about two days until it hits the right sourness. Fry it until crisp and eat with hot steamed rice. Along the Thep Suda Bridge you'll find a dozen shops lined up selling it — a favorite stop for anyone passing through.
Jaew Bong (Pla Ra Bong)
A fermented-fish chili dip pounded with herbs — galangal, lemongrass, shallot and garlic — roasted until fragrant. Spoon it over sticky rice or use it as a dip for raw veg all day long. A well-known Kalasin maker, Jaew Bong Mae Phanom, is over near Kuchinarai. It comes in a tub, easy to carry and keeps for ages.
Pla Ra / Processed Pla Ra
Fermented fish made from Lampao Dam fish, sold either whole or chopped and ready to season. Isan households keep it on hand for som tam and curries. If you're carrying it home, choose the tightly sealed bottled kind — easier to pack and the smell stays contained.
Beef Jerky / Pork Jerky / Sun-Dried Beef
The easiest thing to carry — beef or pork marinated and sun-dried, then pounded soft. Fry or bake it and snack away. Khak Ee Lee near Somdet district is the name people mention for pounded beef sheets and dried beef. It keeps a long time, no refrigeration needed.
Naem / Som Nuea
Another sour fermented item that's always sold alongside mam. Som nuea has a sour, savory depth that's great with sticky rice, and it sells just as well as mam during festival season. Souvenir shops in town carry several makers to choose from.
Khao Wong Sticky Rice
Something that isn't fermented for a change. Khao Wong sticky rice is known for being soft and fragrant, staying tender even after sitting out for a while. Grab a bag to steam and pair perfectly with the mam and jaew bong you've hauled home.
How to Pick Good Fermented Items
Good mam and sausage should be mildly sour, not so sharp it turns harsh and astringent. Smell it and ask the date it was made before buying. If you're carrying it far, ask for vacuum-sealed packing or a cooler box and it'll travel fine the whole way.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Kalasin food tour or cooking class
Half a day with a local who knows the lanes — or cooking a dish yourself — teaches you more than just eating. Book ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide.
Where to Buy — Shops the Locals Go To
Kalasin souvenirs cluster in two main zones: in town around the City Pillar Shrine, and the Lampao Dam–Thep Suda Bridge zone, which focuses on fish products. If you're short on time, just pick the one that's on your route.
Yai Nan Souvenirs
Right beside the Kalasin City Pillar Shrine in town. It gathers all the popular souvenirs — mam, sausage, sun-dried beef and pork, pork and beef jerky — all in one shop. An easy stop while you're touring the town.
Fak Kalasin (Anan-Nak Rd)
A long-standing souvenir shop in town with Isan sausage, jellied pork sausage, pork mam, beef mam and naem. It's on Anan-Nak Road — call ahead to check stock before you go.
Khun Tum Kalasin Sausage
The shop people ask for when it comes to Isan sausage and mam in Kalasin town. Good for taking home to grill yourself. Check their page before you go, since some days they sell out fast.
Khak Ee Lee (Somdet District)
A well-known souvenir spot on the Somdet district side, strong on pounded beef sheets, pork jerky, dried beef and mam. The dried items carry easily, and they'll ship by post if you buy several kilos.
Thep Suda Bridge Fermented Fish Shops
Along the road by the Thep Suda Bridge crossing Lampao Dam, more than a dozen shops line up selling pla som, pla ra, dried fish, tiny glass perch and fresh tilapia. A handy roadside stop to pick up supplies.
Jaew Bong Mae Phanom (Kuchinarai District)
The jaew bong maker Kalasin locals talk about — savory and just the right heat, packed in a tub so it carries easily and keeps a long time. A great small souvenir to hand out to lots of people.
How to Carry It Home Without Spoiling
- Dried items are easiest — beef jerky, pork jerky, sun-dried beef and Khao Wong sticky rice keep at room temperature and fly with no problem.
- Ask for vacuum-sealing on fermented items — for mam, sausage and som nuea, if you're traveling far have the shop vacuum-seal them or pack them in a cooler box with dry ice.
- Choose tightly sealed bottles/tubs for pla ra and jaew bong — keeps the smell contained and prevents spills. If flying, check it in the hold.
- Eat pla som soon — it's a fresh fermented item, so refrigerate it after buying and fry it within a few days for the best taste.
Straight Talk
Kalasin souvenirs are local home-style foods — prices and stock at each shop shift with ingredients and the season. Around New Year things sell so fast that some items run out. If you've got your heart set on a particular shop, call or message their page before you head out to be sure.
Plan a full day of eating around Kalasin
See the Kalasin travel guide →