LOCATION: [MY HOME] [FUTURE] [MY OFFICE] [MY KING] [MEMORIAL]
Thai Desserts
The unique and exquisite Thai taste and appearance inherited down from our forefathers is most evident in desserts.
The sweet taste, delicious coloring and elaborate details in each kind of Thai Dessert require a lot of time, and skills.
Real traditional Thai Desserts contains only three main ingredients : flour, sugar and coconut. These three are mixed in different amounts and cooked by various methods such as bolling, frying, streaming, and grilling, to produce nummerous kinds of Desserts. Almost a thousand kinds of Desserts have been invented from only 3 main ingredients displaying great imagination and perseverance. Especially in recent times, there has been more innovations of beautifully crafted desserts resulted from new coloring and decorating techniques. These desserts truly reflect the fruitfulness of our agricultural society.
     
One important inspiration for Thai Desserts is Buddhism and its many ceremonies. Thai believers like to prepare Thai food and desserts for monks and guests attending those ceremonies. Therefore, the names of the desserts have positive meaning to wish everyone good luck and prosperity.
"Kha-nom Chan" associates the many levels of the dessert with higher and higher degree of success in one's work. "Kha-nom Ja--mong-koot" also means high success in one's work. "Kha-nom Tuay-fu", and "Kha-nom Pui-fai" associiates prosperity with its name and its appearance.
Another popular family of desserts has "Thong" (meaning "Gold") in all of the names. Thong-yib, Thong-yod, Foy-thong, Thong-Ex, Thong-plu, Thong-Prong, and Thong-muan all mean to wish everyone with gold ; much money and treasure, to spend forever. Jackfruit seed dessert, Kha Noon, means constant support and help for one's business.
It tragic that many kinds of Thai desserts cannot be seen now. Nevertheless we can still enjoy the many kinds of desserts still available in Thailand. We can be proud of the ingenuity of our forefathers and the exotic taste and unique appearance of these pieces of Thai cooking.


[TOP][HOME][[PREVIOUS]]
Sirintra Lakanukit, Chanin Chanakulnanon (photo), "Thai Desserts", Paradise Thailand Magazine, Aug.-Sep. 1997, 73-76. 1