🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Most Maha Sarakham souvenirs are fermented or preserved foods — Isan folk have always made them to eat across the seasons. The upside is they keep for a long time, so you can load them into the car back to Bangkok or take them on a plane if you pack them well. There are only a handful of signature items, but pla ra bong is the star everyone thinks of first. Each one has a go-to shop where locals buy, and we've picked them out along with the easiest spots to find them.
The signature edible souvenirs
Pla ra bong (jaew bong)
The real star souvenir of Maha Sarakham — a chili dip of chopped fermented fish pounded with herbs: galangal, lemongrass, shallots, garlic and chili, roasted until fragrant. Scoop it over sticky rice or use it as a dip for raw veg all day long. The well-known shops pound it fresh by hand along the wall of Wat Maha Chai in the town center. It goes into a jar, carries home easily, and keeps a long time.
Mam (pork mam / beef mam)
An Isan fermented sausage with a gentle sour tang, made from beef or pork mixed with liver and spleen, stuffed into casing and fermented until just sour enough. Grill or fry it, eat with sticky rice, and that's the whole meal. Around Maha Sarakham you'll find it at souvenir shops in town, and some vendors bring in mam from neighboring Ban Phai to sell too.
Isan sausage (sai krok Isan)
A sour rice-fermented sausage in small round links, skewered and grilled, eaten with sliced ginger, bird's eye chili and raw cabbage. You'll find raw ones to grill at home and ready-grilled ones to eat right away. Souvenir shops in town stock several brands — good to buy as a set with mam.
Kun chiang (Chinese sausage)
A sweet cured sausage that's easy to carry and that kids will eat too — fry or steam it to go with rice porridge or plain rice. It's sold alongside mam and Isan sausage at nearly every souvenir shop, and keeps longer than the sour fermented stuff. A good pick for anyone who doesn't do spicy.
Pla ra / processed fermented fish
Fermented fish from the waters around town, sold both whole and chopped and ready to season. Isan households keep some at home for making som tam and curries. If you're carrying it home, go for the sealed-bottle version — easier to pack and the smell stays contained. Sold in the same shops as pla ra bong.
Pla som / dried fish
Tilapia and barb fermented with salt and rice until just sour, fried crisp and eaten with hot rice; the sun-dried fish you can fry and snack on as is. Find them at fresh markets and souvenir shops in town. These are fresher ferments, so eat them sooner rather than later.
Sun-dried beef / pounded beef / pounded pork
The easiest dried goods to carry — beef or pork marinated and sun-dried, fried or oven-warmed and eaten as a snack. The pounded versions are tenderized into thin sheets. They keep at room temperature with no need to refrigerate, so they're great for flying with and handing out to a crowd.
Hang rice / local sticky rice
Something that isn't a ferment for a change. Hang rice is paddy rice that's soaked and steamed before milling, which makes it fragrant and more nutritious. Maha Sarakham has community enterprise groups making organic hang rice, sold by the bag — pick one up to cook alongside the mam and jaew bong you carried home.
Bakery souvenirs (banana cake)
Sarakham is a university town, so there's a lively scene of bakeries making souvenir and meeting-break treats. Banana cake and baked goods from Farm Suk Bakery are a frequent buy among the younger crowd — a good sweet, non-fermented option. Easy to carry home, but best eaten within a few days.
How to pick good ferments
Good pla ra bong smells of roasted herbs and isn't so salty you can't eat it — ask for a taste before buying at the hand-pounding stalls. Good mam and sausage should be lightly sour, not so sour it turns bitter; ask when it was made before you buy. If you're carrying it a long way, ask for vacuum-sealed or a tightly sealed jar so it holds up the whole trip.
Want to taste deeper? Try a Maha Sarakham 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 — the shops locals go to
Maha Sarakham souvenirs cluster mainly in town. The most famous spot is along the wall of Wat Maha Chai, where the hand-pounding pla ra bong stalls line up. Mam, sausage and kun chiang are at souvenir shops around town and along Nakhon Sawan Road. If you're short on time, just pick the ones that fall along your route.
Pla ra bong stalls near Wat Maha Chai
The hand-pounding pla ra bong strip that Sarakham locals talk about, along the wall of Wat Maha Chai in the town center. Several vendors pound it fresh in front of you; the ones people ask for most are Khun Nong's and Khun Toi's. You can taste before buying, and it jars up easily for the trip home.
Souvenir shops on Nakhon Sawan Road
The main shopping street in the center of town, with souvenir shops carrying mam, Isan sausage, kun chiang, sun-dried beef and pla ra all in one zone — easy to drop into while you're walking around town. Call ahead during festival season to check stock.
Municipal fresh market
The in-town market where you can find the full range of local ferments — pla ra, pla som, dried fish, local vegetables and curry paste — at friendlier prices than the dedicated souvenir shops. Good for anyone who wants to buy ingredients and cook themselves.
Community hang rice enterprise
Homemaker groups making hang rice and processed sticky rice sold by the bag, some of it organic. Find it at OTOP shops in town or order through the community's page. A good keeps-well souvenir for the health-conscious crowd.
Farm Suk Bakery
A souvenir bakery that the younger crowd and MSU students buy from often, known for banana cake and meeting-break treats. A good sweet, non-fermented option. Check their page before you go, since some items are made in batches.
Ban Phaeng reed mats (Kosum Phisai District)
If you want a non-edible souvenir, stop by the Ban Phaeng reed-weaving group in Kosum Phisai District for mats, bags and coasters — pretty, hard-wearing patterns and a well-known local craft. Buy them as a set alongside the food.
How to carry it home without it spoiling
- Dried goods are the easiest to carry — pounded beef, pounded pork, sun-dried beef, hang rice and kun chiang keep at room temperature and fly with no problem.
- For pla ra bong and pla ra, choose a sealed jar/bottle — it keeps the smell in and stops spills. If you're flying, check it into the hold rather than carrying it into the cabin.
- Ask for ferments vacuum-sealed — for mam and sausage on a long trip, have the shop vacuum-pack them or pack them in a cooler box with ice so they last longer.
- Eat pla som and bakery items quickly — they're fresh; once bought, keep them chilled and eat within a few days for the best taste.
The honest take
Maha Sarakham souvenirs are homemade local goods, so prices and stock shift with ingredients and the season at each shop. Around New Year or MSU graduation, things sell so fast that some items run out quickly. If you've got your heart set on a particular shop, call or message their page before you set out to be sure.
Plan a full day of eating around Maha Sarakham
See the Maha Sarakham travel guide →