Thai Desserts

Thai Desserts & How to Cook

Thai desserts are well known for their taste sensations which are as impressive as their appearance. Their appealing looks reflect the nature of the Thais who are neat and meticulous. Desserts have been among the favourites of the Thais for hundreds of years. Several kinds of them were mentioned in valuable works of Thai literature.

Like Thai dishes, Thai desserts are also delicious, colourful and multifarious. They are pleasing to the eye as well as the palate. Thai women have a particular liking for them and eat them both after and between meals. Most Thai sweets are made from five simple ingredients -- coconut cream, coconut flesh, rice flour, palm sugar and eggs.

Thong Yip (middle left), Thong Yot (top) & Foi Thong (right)

A variety of Thai desserts

Kluai Chueam (left) Kluai Buat Chi (bottom right)

Luk Chup

Some favourite sweets among the Thais are :

- Thong Yip (sweet egg yolk cup)
- Thong Yot (sweet egg yolk drop)
- Foi Thong (sweet shredded egg yolk)
- Met Khanun (mung bean flour coated with sweet egg yolk)
- Mo Kaeng (egg custard with mung bean flour)
- Sangkhaya (egg custard)
- Bua Loi (glutinous-rice flour balls in coconut cream)
- Tako (jelly with coconut cream)
- Kluai Buat Chi (banana in coconut cream)
- Fakthong Buat (pumpkin in coconut cream)
- Kluai Chueam (banana in syrup and coconut cream)
- Luk Chup (fruit-shape desserts made of mung-bean flour with natural colouring)
- Thapthim Krop (diced water-chestnuts in coconut cream)

There are arrays of Thai sweetmeats for sale at many places ranging from sidewalk stalls, markets and small shops to top department stores. Try to taste some of the above to appreciate the marvelous taste of Thai desserts.

Thai Desserts : Desserts and Thai Culture

If you have ever visited Thailand, you may have had a chance to see some Thai desserts or khanom that are displayed for sale at many places, each kind with an attractive shape and bright colors. They are enticing, aren't they ? The fact is that Thai desserts offer taste sensations as impressive as their appearances.Their appealing looks reflect the nature of the Thais who are meticulous. The Thais also relatekhanom to many aspects of their lives.

Clockwise from bottom left: Ja Mogkut, Thong Yip, Nam Dokmai, Maphrao Kaeo, Luk Chup and Thong Yot with Knanom Chan in the center

Thai desserts are mostly made of coconut flesh, coconut cream and rice flour. Since most areas of the country have been used for farming purposes, natural ingredients for producing the desserts are plentiful and easily obtainable. That's the reason why a wide variety of sweets has been created. Khanom have been the favourites of the Thais for hundreds of years. Some types of Thai desserts were mentioned in Traiphum Phraruang, a literary work of the Sukhothai period (1238-1350). The popularity of eating khanom became widespread in the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767). Some historical records referred to talat khanom or dessert markets while some mentioned Ban Mo or pottery villages where earthen pots, pans, stoves and other equipment for making khanom were made.

The most important person in the history of Thai desserts was Marie Guimar, a foreign lady who introduced several exotic desserts to Siam. The lady was born of a Portuguese father and a Japanese mother in Siam in the reign of King Narai (1656-1688). Marie was given the Siamese title and name of Thao Thong Kipma. Her husband was Constantine Phaulkon, a Greek sailor who rose to the highest non-hereditary rank of Chao Phraya Wichayen. Marie's husband gained special favour and trust from King Narai, causing envy and concern among the native courtiers. Unfortunately, after the king fell seriously ill, Phaulkon was arrested and put to death while Marie herself was sent to jail. Marie's life remained miserable until the reign of King Thaisa (1709-1733), who recognized the worth and abilities of the lady and put her in charge of the royal household with as many as 2,000 women working under her. This provided her with an opportunity to teach women in the palace the art of cooking, especially several desserts from Portugal with yolk and sugar as main ingredients, such as thong yip, thong yot, foi thong, sankhayaand mo kaeng. All of these have remained favourite sweets among the Thais up to the presents.

In the old days, though khanom was considered just an addition to a meal that was not essential, its appearance on a dining table suggested the completeness and importance of the meal. In the reign of King Rama I (1782-1809), Prince Narinthonthewi, a brother of the King, wrote in his Memoirs about the celebration for the establishment of the Emerald Buddha Temple. 

According to him, Buddhist monks numbering 2,000 were presented with several kinds of desserts like khao niao kaeo, i.e. sticky rice cooked in coconut cream and sugar, kluai chap, i.e. dried banana slices coated with sugar, and sangkhaya, i.e. egg custard. The taste sensations of khanom also impressed King Rama II (1809-1824) so much that he wrote a poem admiring the tantalising Thai foods and desserts of several sorts. The first Siamese cookery book was published in the reign of King Rama V (1868-1910). Part of the book gave the instructions for preparing desserts for offering to the Buddhist monks.

Clockwise from left: Thong Yip, Thong Yot and Foi Thong, the desserts originatnig from Portugal that are made of yolk and sugar

Thai desserts have played an important role on auspicious occasions and ceremonies.  In the past, some types of khanom were prepared only once in a year on a special occasion. For example, khaoniao daeng and kalamae, both made of glutinous rice, coconut cream and sugar, were produced on the occasion of Songkran, the traditional Thai NewYear Festival falling on April 13. As it takes a lot of time and labour to make these desserts, especially in the kalamae-making process of stirring flour with other ingredients to a thick consistency, people living in the same village or district would come to help each other in preparing the desserts in a large amount. This was a good chance for them to develop their friendly relationship and strengthen unity among them. The desserts of unity then were taken by them to offer to the Buddhist monks at a temple. However, this tradition has ceased to exist today.

Clockwise from bottom left: Kraya sat, Khaoniao Kaeo, Khaoniao Daeng and Kalamae

The Thai Autumn Festival, falling on the last day of the 10th Thai lunar month, roughly corresponding to late September, is a tradition of the Indian culture brought to Siam by Indian priests and has survived to this day, even though the Thais do not have the autumn season. The heart of this custom is that the people make merit by taking the usual food, a small species of banana calledkluai khai (egg bananas) and a special kind of sweetmeat called kraya sat to a nearby temple to be offered to the Buddhist monks.

Kraya sat is a mixture of shredded rice grains, popped rice, beans, sesame and coconut meat, ground into meal and boiled with sugar until it is very thick and forms into a sticky cake, then cut into portions.

Thewo Alms Offering, an old tradition taking place on Ok Phansa Day. i.e. the first day after the end of Buddhist Lent (falling on the fullmoon day of the 11th lunar month), is held to celebrate the Lord Buddha's descent from heaven after having preached to his own mother there. In the early morning, hundreds of monks, lining up in files in the temple yard, receive milled rice, dried food and sweets from the attending people. The special food for this occasion is khao tom luk yon which ismade of glutinous rice, coconut cream and sugar, and wrapped up in a palm leaf. The reason for making the dessert in this form is to facilitate the monks in carrying the sweetmeats with them when traveling to many regions in order to propagate the Buddhist doctrines.

Thong Ek, a kind of sweetmeat symbolizing fame and wealth

On other propitious occasions on which the monks are invited to give prayers for blessing, the host usually entertains the monks and guests to a lunch. To complete the meal, some sweetmeats are served. The reason for the addition of the desserts derives from the Thai inherited belief thekhanom is a special dish for meritorious people. Moreover, khanom is a sign of friendship and love.

The sorts of sweetmeat that are popularly prepared for the propitious occasions include those with the names of lucky meanings. For instance, the desserts have the names beginning with the world "thong" or gold, like thong yip, thong yot andthong ek. The Thais believe that gold will bring good luck to them. It symbolizes fame and wealth. Maphrao kaeo (glass) made of dried candied shredded coconut flesh has the meaning of the magic glass ball. Khanom tan (tan means sugar palm) which is made of the flesh and sugar from the palm, signifies a sweet and smooth life.

The desserts also make their appearance in a wedding banquet. In addition, in the past the Thais made a special kind of dessert called sam (three) kloe (friends), made of flour, mold in three small balls attached with each other and then fried in oil. It was a Thai belief that the shapes of sam kloe when heated could foretell the future marriage life of the newly weds. If the three balls still attached to each other, it signaled a happy marriage life. If one ball came apart while the other two still joined togerther, it meant that the couple would have no children. If all the three ball were separated from each other, this would be a bad sign for the bride and groom, indicating an unsuccessful marriage. In addition, if the sweetmeat did not expand when heated, it also suggested the same negative meaning.

Ja Mongkut, crown-like yellow sweetmeats that in the past persons of lower ranks often gave to their seniors

In the old days, a Thai presented khanomto another as a token of gratitude or an expression of gladness for that person's success. The one who was promoted to a high rank would receive the gift of ja (chief)mongkut (crown), a kind of crown-like yellow sweetmeat mainly made of yolk and sugar. Because of the auspicious meaning of each word constituting its name, only very good or special persons deserved this kind of khanom.

There was a kind of sweetmeat that a senior often gave to a person of lower rank.
It was luk chup, a sweetmeat in the shape of a model fruit made of pounded soya beans mixed with coconut flesh and sugar and coated with natural colors. The lovely shapes of this khanom suggested the tender care that the giver had for the receiver.

As time passed, though some of these traditions and beliefs have been forgotten in Thai society, most kinds of desserts still exist. Their tantalising tastes always leave a lingering impression on the tongue of its taster. This is the significant reason why Thai desserts never die.

There are arrays of Thai sweetmeats for sale at many places ranging from sidewalk stalls, markets and small shops to top department stores.

Thong Yip (sweet egg yolk cup) 

Thong Yip

Thong Yip is popularly made on propitious occasions since its name begins with the word 'thong' which means gold and the Thais believe that gold, which symbolizes fame and wealth, will bring good luck to them.

Ingredients
• Yolks from 5 duck's eggs and 5 hen's eggs
• 3 cups of sugar
• 3 cups of water scented with jasmine

How to cook
1. To make syrup, stew sugar in water scented with jasmine in a pan until all the sugar dissolves and bubbles appear all over the water surface.
2. Whip the yolk until stiff.
3. Remove the syrup from heat and wait until it becomes still.
4. Spoon up the yolk and drop it into the syrup. Repeat this until the yolk is finished. Each spoonful of yolk will become circular in shape in the syrup that is not too thick.
5. Put the syrup pan on a moderate heat. Pour some jasmine-scented water into the pan from time to time to prevent the syrup from thickening. Turn over the golden circular pieces in the pan before spooning them into a container with some syrup.
6. Make each piece into the shape of a five-point star and place it in a china cup to allow it to firm up.

7. Take it out of the cup and it is ready for serving. 

Foi Thong (sweet shredded egg yolk) 

Foi Thong

Ingredients • Yolks from 10 duck's eggs and 5 hen's eggs • 3 cups of sugar • 2 cups of water scented with jasmine • 1 piece of thin white cloth for filtering

How to cook
1. Put all the yolk on a piece of thin white cloth, fold it up, and squeeze the cloth to filter the yolk through it.
2. To make syrup, boil sugar in water scented with jasmine in a pot. When all the sugar dissolves, take the water to be filtered before continuing stewing it until bubbles appear all over the surface.
3. Pour the yolk through a narrow funnel which is placed over the pot of syrup so that the yolk will become golden threads in the syrup.
4. Use a long pointed piece of wood to stir the golden threads in the syrup until they become smooth. Then remove them from heat and wrap them around themselves so that they form the shape of a rectangle.

Bua Loi (glutinous-rice flour balls in coconut cream) 

Bua Loi

Bua Loi is still a popular dessert in this country today. It is loved by people of all classes. That's why it is available in many places, ranging from food stalls on the sidewalk to good restaurants.

Ingredients 
• 1 cup of thick coconut cream obtained by grating coconut meat and pressing it for the first time
• 3 cups of glutinous rice flour
• 2 cups of thin coconut cream obtained by pressing grated coconut meat for the second and third times
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt

How to cook
1. Mix the flour with water and knead it into a dough.
2. Shape the dough into a number of small balls.
3. Put the balls of dough into boiling water.
4. When the balls float on the surface of the water, spoon them up and put them in cold water before taking them out.
5. Mix 2 cups of thin coconut cream with sugar and salt, and filter it.
6. Place the pot of the mixed coconut cream on a moderate heat. When it is boiling, put the balls in it.
7. When the mixture is boiling again, pour the thick coconut cream into it and remove it from heat immediately without stirring it. It is now ready for serving.

Luk Chup 
(fruit-shape desserts made of mung-bean flour with natural colouring) 

Luk Chup

They look like various kinds of fruit and vege- tables, such as chillies, cherries, mangosteens, oranges, mangoes, bananas, watermelons, and carrots but they are in miniature. Their taste is sweet, their smell is fragrant, and their appearance is attractive and colourful. They are called Luk Chup.

In the old days, Luk Chup were the sweetmeats made for the king of Siam to have after meals in the palace. The skill of making these little sweetmeats could thus be learned only from people in the palace. Nowadays, eating Luk Chup is not limited to only palace people. However, they still preserve its position as the sweetmeats for those of high society since they are rather expensive and the Thais popularly present the dessert to their superiors and elders on special occasions like New Year's Day, birthdays, or as a gift to convey one's congratulations.

To make Luk Chup, the basic ingredients are ground mung beans (with skins removed), sugar, coconut cream, clear gelatin, and food-colouring. Ground bean paste is mixed with sugar before coconut cream is added. The mixture then is heated over a gentle fire until it becomes sticky. After leaving it cool, the mixture is taken to be molded into the desired shapes of fruits and vegetables. This important step needs good dexterity. Every curve and line requires a very gentle touch to shape the mixture into the miniature fruits or vegetables. But the size of each piece is limited by the amount of mixture that can be made to hold together. Then the little models are painted in various colors. When dry, they are dipped in clear gelatin.

The sweetmeats can be kept in a refrigerator for up to three weeks. Nowadays 
Luk Chup are not as commonly found as other Thai sweets. They are on sale in only some shops selling Thai desserts.

credit:thaiwaysmagazine

Fruit Thailand

The Kingdom of a Hundred Fruits

There are many possible reasons for people to go to a foreign country – on business, for pleasure, to study, to visit relatives and friends, for shopping, etc. But the reasons probably do not include eating, even less eating fruit.

Those who come to Thailand, however, will find that fruits in this country are so plentiful, so diversified, so inexpensive and so delicious that they constitute an unexpected reward, a bonus.

It is not simply because of its geographical position as a tropical country that Thailand produces so many different kinds of fruits of good quality. The tropical climate is certainly favourable to the growth of vegetation. But there are other factors that have contributed to the rich production – the fertile soil, the introduction of new species from foreign countries, the continued efforts to improve the quality of fruits by scientific methods, and the comparative length of Thai territory, which extends right into the subtropical zone, making it possible to grow fruits native to places of higher latitudes.

Here is a brief introduction to several kinds of fruits produced in Thailand that are worth special recommendation. Names in Thai with their romanized spellings are given after the English names of facilitate the identification of the fruits. Prices given are just rough indicators. The actual prices may vary according to the season, the harvest and where the fruits are bought.

	Banana (kluai), there are 3 main species: 1. The fragrant banana (kluai hom), most palatable and most commonly eaten by foreigners; 2. The namwa banana (kluai namwa), either eaten raw as fruit or cooked in many different ways and eaten as a snack; and 3. The egg banana (kluai khai), small in size with a thin skin, a specialty of Kamphaeng Phet Province. Season: All year round.
	Coconut (ma-phrao) Only the young ones are eaten as fruit. Scoop out the tender meat with a spoon and drink the refreshing milk with a tube. Season: All year round.
	Custard Apple (noi-na) Transplanted from Central America long ago. Easily broken with a squeeze. Eat the soft, white meat with the help of a spoon and leave out the seeds. Season: June to August.
	Durian (thu-rian) A very special fruit. Reputed to be the king of all fruits, its strong smell sometimes turns people away before they have a chance to taste it. However, if one can overcome one’s initial dislike of its foul smell and give it a try, one is likely to love its rich, unique flavour. Among the various species, the golden pillow(monthong) is most agreeable to the beginner.Other famous varieties include the long-stemmed (kanyao) and the gibbon (cha-ni). Season: May to June.
	Grape (a-ngun) First transplanted from Europe about a century ago, it has thrived for the past two decades after new varieties suitable to the tropical climate were developed. Both the green and the red varieties are available. Season: December to April.
	Guava (farang) The Thai name means a White or a Westerner. The fruit derived its name because it originated from tropical America. It has become a popular fruit only after the new Vietnamese species was widely planted more than a decade ago. Eat the white, crisp flesh either alone or with the condiment provided free by the vendor. Don’t eat the core, which would cause constipation. Season: All year round.
	Jackfruit (khanun) Somewhat like a durian but even bigger, it takes an expert to open it with a sharp knife. But people usually don’t buy a whole fruit. The vendor will open it and take the yellowish flesh out for retail. Its large seeds are edible after being boiled, and are nutritious too. Season: Almost all year round.
	Longan (lamyai) Brought into this country by Chinese immigrants hundreds of years ago, it was first planted in Bangkok and then in the North. It is in the North that the fruit has flourished and become one of Thailand’s largest export fruits. The most famous species is the pink longan produced in Chiang Mai. Its flesh is pinkish and thick and delightfully sweet. Season: May to July.
	Lychee or Litchi (linchi) Also transplanted from South China, but much later than the longan. Now, it is widely grown in Chiang Mai and other northern provinces and is just as good in quality as the fruit produced in China. Its slight tartness gives its sweet pulp a unique taste. Season: April to May.
	Mango (ma-muang) Like the persimmon, the mango can be eaten both ripe and unripe. Some varieties are best eaten ripe and some others, unripe. The former includes namdokmai andokrong, and the later, the khiao-sa-woei andnangseam. The Thais are fond of eating ripe mangoes with sticky rice and coconut cream. It is sold everywhere when the fruit is in season. You should give it a try. Season: March to May.
	Mangosteen (mangkhut) Cut open the thick dark red rind with a sharp knife. Be careful not to let the sap contained in the skin stain your clothes, which would leave marks hard to remove. The white juicy pulp is divided into 5 to 8 segments, of which 1 to 3 contain a seed. The sweet flesh has a delicate texture and will melt in your mouth. Season: May to July.
	Papaya (malako) Originating from tropical America, the plant has been grown in this country for so long and so extensively that the Thai people tend to consider it a native of their land. It is easy to grow and highly productive. That is why it is among the cheapest. But don’t judge its quality by its price. The former is out of proportion to the latter. Slice it lengthwise and eat it with a spoon, or remove the skin and eat with a fork. A squeeze of lime juice will enhance its taste. Season: All year round.
	Pineapple (saparot) Sweet, succulent and rich in vitamin C. Add a little salt to enrich the flavour. Largest plantations are in Prachuap Khiri Khan and Phuket in the South, Chon Buri and Rayong along the eastern coast, Prachinburi near Cambodia, and Lampang in the North. Most of the fruits are canned and exported. This serves to prove the excellent quality of the pineapples produced in this country. Season: All year round.
	Pomelo (som-o) The Siamese pomelo was well known in the native country of the ethnic Chinese in Thailand decades ago. In fact, that was about the only Thai fruit known to their relatives at home. Although that was partly because the pomelo is more durable than most other fruits and can endure a long sea voyage without perishing, it is an undeniable fact that the Thai pomelo has earned fame for its country for long. The fruit is easier eaten than peeled. But the good taste is certainly more than worth the effort. Anyway, the vendor can do the job for you free of charge. Season: August to October.
	Rambutan (ngo) In bright red with yellowish or greenish hair, the rambutan is beautiful in appearance. Its white flesh is firm, sweet, and juicy. The most widely grown species are the pink rambutan, the school rambutan and the che-mong. If you find that the meat does not come off the seed readily, you may use a knife to help. Season: May to June.
	Rose Apple (chomphu) Another lovely fruit mostly in light green. Shaped like a bell, it can be eaten whole after the hollow end is cut off and a few tiny seeds inside removed. The fruit is crisp and succulent and only slightly sweet. Thais often eat it with a sugar-pepper condiments or nampla wansauce to add to its taste. Season: May to June.
	Sapodila (la-mut) Similar to an egg in shape and size, but not in colour. Pare off the thin brown skin, slice it lengthwise into 4 or more sections to remove its few seeds, which are flat, hard and in jet black, and eat the sweet pulp with a fork. Season: All year round.
	Tangerine (som) Much improved in taste and texture in the past few decades. Formerly, only those grown in Bangmot district in the outskirts of Bangkok were famous. Now, orchards in Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Chiang Mai also produce tangerines of high quality. Season: All year round.
	Watermelon (taeng-mo) The large round fruit has a hard green rind, a watery red pulp and small brown seeds. It provides plenty of not-too-sweet water and is an ideal fruit to eat when you are thirsty. Its quality is by no means inferior to any famous species produced in other countries. Season: All year round.

There are many, many other fruits produced in this country. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to call Thailand the kingdom of a hundred fruits. Those not mentioned above may be less well known. Yet they each have their special flavour liked by some at least. As you can see from the above, May and June are the two months when most of the famous fruits are on sale in Thailand. You are fortunate if you happen to be in this country during this period. If not, do try to come before the end of summer in order to claim the bonus which is waiting for you to collect.

credit:thaiwaysmagazine

The Meals We Eat

Lots of people have written to me and asked me about meals in Thailand. Now it's time for me to make the page up.

In Thailand, we have 3 meals same as other countries. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are the main meals but Thai people like to have snacks between meals. A lot of snacks. We eat our meals with a spoon and fork or sometimes with chopsticks if we have noodles. All food is cut up when it is cooked so we don't need to use a knife!

In my family, we don't really cook meals ourselves. We often eat takeaway food which we bring back to the house. But if we cook ourselves, my dad will be the cook, he cooks better than my mum. We do not always have our meals together because we are not often home. I always go back home late after working at Srinai school on my web site. On those days I usually eat at a roadside noodle stall. If I go back home early, we shall eat dinner together in front of the TV. Most meals we eat are rice topped with meat and vegetables or noodles. Lunch and dinner are about the same but lunch usually has one dish but dinner it is normal to have three or four dishes to share. It is not polite to put all food on your plate in one go. You just take a spoonfull at a time. This is good when we go out to a restaurant. We can try many different dishes.

Thai Food in the Central Region

The Thai in the central plain prefer food with smooth and lasting taste with a touch of sweetness. The way the food is served is an art in itself. The dinning table is often decorated with carved vegetable and fruit. Cuisine of the central plain sometimes combines the best of the foods from various regions.

Rice is strictly the staple food for every family in the central region. There are on the average three to five dishes to go with rice. Typical are soup, gang som (chili vegetable soup), gang phed (Thai red curry), tom yam (spiced soup) and so on. Chili fried meat dishes are for instances, pad phed, panaeng, masaman, fried ginger and green pepper, Thai salads or yam are yam tua pu, salad with sliced roasted beef. Dishes that regular feature fin a Thai meal of the central region are vegetable, namprik (chili sauce), platoo (local herring), and perhaps omelette (Thai style), fried beef of roasted pork. On the whole Thai meal should meet protein and vitamin requirements with plenty to spare.

Traditional Methods of Serving Thai Food of the Central Region

The central plain of Thailand has always been known for its progress and advance in all areas of human activity, be it intellectual, technological or cultural.

The Thai in the central region have adopted spoon and fork and a common ditching spoon as the standard cutlery set for Thai meals. For affluent families, napkins simply folded or folded into various geometrical shapes are also to be seen depending also on individual family's tradition and taste. Dishes, boiled rice and drinking water are laid on the dinning table and for the family which can afford the service of a maid, will be replenished by a waiting maid as the meal progresses. Less well to do families may do without shared spoons together, and family members take food from the dish by their own spoons.

Thai Food of the North

Thai food of the north, in some way, is cooked with the sole thought for the taste for the northern people. The recipe consists of vegetable and ingredients available in their immediate vicinity. The common meal includes steamed glutinous rice, chili sauces which come in a host of varieties, such as "namprik noom", "namprik dang", "namprik ong" and chili soups (gang) such as gang hangle, gang hoh, gang kae. In addition there are also, local sausages such as sai ua, and nham; steamed meat, roasted pork, pork resin, fried pork, fried chicken and vegetable to go with them.

The northern people have penchant for medium cooked food with a touch of salty tastes almost to the exclusion of sweet and sour tastes. Meat preferred by the northern people is pork followed by beef, chicken, duck, bird etc. Sea food is the least known on account of the remoteness of the northern region from the sea.

Thai food of the north does not lack in varieties. These are dishes to be consumed at different times of the day. The northern breakfast known in the local dialect as khao gnai consisting mainly of steamed glutinous rice. Cooked in the early hours of the day, steamed glutinous rice is packed in a wicker basket made from bamboo splints or palmyra palm leaves. The farmer takes the packed basket to the working rice field and eat the glutinous rice as lunch, known in the dialect as "khao ton". Dinner or "khoa lang" is an familiar affair is served on raised wooden tray or "kan toke". The tray which is about 15 to 30 inches in diameter is painted in red.

Traditional Method of Serving Northern Food

The northern people are known to follow their traditions in a very strict and faithful manner, in particular the tradition of serving and partaking of the evening meal. Food is placed in small cups placed on "kantoke" which could be an inlaid wooden or brass tray depending on the economic status of the house owner. Served together with "kantoke" is steamed glutinous rice that is the staple food of the northerner packed in a wicker basket. There is also a kendi containing drinking water nearby. Water is poured from the kendi to a silver drinking cup from which water is drunk. After the main course come desserts and local cigars to conclude the evening meal.

Thai Food of the South

Thai food of the south tends to be exceedingly chili hot compared with Thai food from other regions of Thailand. Specially favored dishes of the south are a whole variety of gang (spiced soup or curry) for examples, gang liang, gang tai pla, and budu sauce. Boiled rice mixed in budu sauce known as khao yam is a delicatessen of the southern people. Salty is taste, khao yam is taken with an assortment of vegetable. Considered special ties of the south are sataw, med riang and look niang.

Sataw is a green pod when stripped reveals green berries. Strawberries sometimes chopped into thin slices are cooked with meat and chili or simply added to any gang or maybe boiled with other vegetable in coconut milk, or taken raw with chili sauce. The berries can be preserved by pickling and eaten without further cooking.

Med riang is very much like a bean sprout but much larger in size and dark green in color. It is ready for eating after the outer skin is removed. It can be cooked with vegetable and meat or pickled for eating with gang, chili sauce or lon (ground meat or fish in chili sauce).

Look niang is a round berry in a hard and dark green skin. When the skin is removed it is ready for eaten. The inner layer may or may not be removed depending on individual taste. Look niang may be raw or with chili sauce, lon, gang liang especially gang tai pla. Ripe look niang boiled and mixed with coconut flakes and sugar is served as a dessert.

Thai Food of the Northeast

Like Thai food of the north, Thai food of the northeast has steamed glutinous rice as a staple base to be taken with spiced ground meat with red pork blood, papaya salad or som tom, roasted fish, roasted chicken, jim-jaem, and rotted fish or pla rah. The northeast prefer to have their meat fried and the meat could be frog, lizard, snake, rice field rat, large red ants, insects etc. Pork, beef and chicken are preferred by well to do families.

Traditional Methods of Serving Thai Food in the northeast

Dishes are served in a large enameled food tray which sports a pattern of large and colorful flowers. Food is taken from the dishes is taken with steamed glutinous rice contained in a wicker basket (katib) made in the peculiar style of the northeastern people. Desserts mainly consisting of processed glutinous rice such as, khao niew hua ngog nang led, etc.