The original cuisine of the South East is probably the peasant cuisine of Thailand. The peasant cuisine spread east across the mountains into Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and south down the Malayan peninsula and the island arc of Indonesia.

The cuisine did not develop in isolation, of course. As it spread, it was influenced by ideas coming from the North and West Asia. More recently the cuisines of Europe have influenced the native ones. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were French colonies, Malaysia was a British Colony and Indonesia was a Dutch colony. Thailand successfully resisted European colonisation.

Lemon grass and galangal are two important flavours which make the cuisines of the region unique.
Curries are very common across the region, but less common in Vietnam where the Chinese influence is strong. The concept probably came from India and spread east, but the people of the South East modified the original by substituting coconut milk for yogurt as the base for the sauce.

Chilli, native to the Americas arrived in the region with European explorers. Other spices used in the region; cinnamon from Sri Lanka, cardamom and cumin from India, coriander and star anise from China.

Several herbs are common in the region, Thai basil, sweet basil, coriander and mint the most common. Citrus especially limes are native to the islands of Indonesia and Malaysia. Fish sauce is probably a local invention.