Desserts are a form of culture. They are more than just food since they mirror history and civilisations. In some countries, desserts were even used to save cities from invaders, such as when the Chinese put secret messages for their allies inside moon cakes during wartime. In various cultures, desserts are integral to religious ceremonies, rituals and festivities and also symbolise friendship.
At a recent seminar at Chulalongkorn University, the cultural spectrum of khanom, or Thai desserts, from Buddhist references to cross-frontier influences, were discussed and shown how relevant they still are in society. "Thai desserts are means to carry on what has long been done and become culture," said Thai dessert expert ML Darunee Chakrabandhu, during the Thai Studies Centre seminar, "Desserts And Cultural Diversity In Thailand".
According to ML Darunee, Thai desserts have long been used to confer different meanings on various occasions, such as kanom thuay foo, meaning flourishing, and khanom chan with tiers signifying promotion and prosperity, while khanom chan, without tiers, is reserved for funerals.
Desserts specially for Songkran are khao niew daeng (sweet red brown glutinous rice) and kalamae (sweet sticky candy), which people from different families bake and give others to show their good friendship.
Desserts for the start of Buddhist Lent include khao yakhu (young rice pudding), while those for the end of Buddhist Lent are khao tom mud (steamed glutinous rice with banana filling) and khao tom lukyone (glutinous rice dessert) for merit-making at temples and giving to one another. Each region of Thailand conserves its own desserts as culture.
The oldest evidence of culture relating to Thai desserts is in the Buddhist literature Traiphum Phra Ruang, written 671 years ago during the Sukhothai period, which mentions khanom tom (rice flour dumplings with coconut filling). Some documents from the Ayutthaya period mention pans and stoves for baking desserts like khanom khrok (coconut milk pancake) and khanom buang (tortillas with sweet fillings). This suggests that these desserts date back to that era.
"Dessert-making methods vary according to situations. In times of war, simple methods would be applied to make desserts like chamod, kong, kwian and pim thua. For example, pim thua, a popular dessert in the Ayutthaya period, was prepared by mixing and baking green beans, coconut milk and sugar.
Later in the Rattanakosin period, famous chef Thanpuying Plian Passakorawong created luk chub, a dessert created by beautifying pim thua. This adjustment reflects the creativity and artistic talent of Thais," ML Darunee added.
Egg yolk had not been used in Thai desserts until Thao Thong Kib Ma, or Maria Guyomar de Pina, a Japanese-Portuguese woman, created and introduced desserts influenced by Portuguese cuisine, including thong yib, thong yot and foi thong, to the royal court during the Ayutthaya period.
ML Darunee added that the Traiphum Phra Ruang also mentions the use of khanom tom khao and khanom tom daeng for Brahmin rituals. Also, khanom kho, flour dumplings in coconut milk, has been used during Brahmin house-warming ceremonies.
Khanom tao (turtle dessert), a Chinese dessert.
According to the seminar, Indian desserts are mainly prepared from chickpea flour, milk, sugar and ghee (clarified butter). People in India give desserts to each other to celebrate occasions.
Desserts are also related to religions. Even the Hindu god Ganesh holds a dessert called "modak" in his left hand. "Modak" is a popular sweet in India and means "what makes people delighted". Another form of the "modak" is called a "laddoo".
Another popular dessert in India is "kheer", a rice pudding with milk, raisins, cashew nuts and saffron. It is called khao mathu payas in Thai. In Thailand, Indian desserts can be bought at Phahurat, or Little India, in Bangkok.
Indian desserts are used during Brahmin ceremonies. Yada Suwanngamcharoen's research on the Triyampawai and Tripawai ceremonies shows the use of a dessert called khao vej or khao piak, a mixture of uncooked rice and milk.
Every day throughout the 15-day festival, worshippers present khao vej to the sacred wooden board for the Giant Swing ceremony at the Brahmin Chapel in Bangkok. Other offerings include fruit, rice balls, khao tom nam woon (glutinous rice dessert), and young and ripe coconuts.
Assist Prof Julispong Chularatana, a history lecturer of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Arts, regards Muslim desserts in Thailand as culture, as well.
"Muslims from Persia like to drink pomegranate wine. The unique feature of Persian food is the pleasant fragrance of rose water, a symbol of purification. Among 10 popular Persian desserts are 'nan-e nokhochi', which is similar to kleeb lamduan and sprinkled with pistachio nuts, 'faloodah' and 'gulab jamun'," he said.
The cuisine of Thai Muslims of Persian descent, who are called Khaek Chao Sen, is a mixture of Persian roots with Thai influences. The Muslims of the Shiite sect who respect Imam Hussein, the grandson of prophet Muhammad are also known as Khaek Chao Sen. Their culinary history in Thailand dates back to the late Thon Buri era, which is home to Khaek Chao Sen, who migrated to Siam about four centuries ago and settled in Thon Buri during the reign of King Taksin the Great (1768-1782).
"Desserts for Muslim festivals are called Eid desserts, which vary from one festival to another. During Ramadan, Muslims like eating dates and a rose syrup-soaked dessert called 'zlabia', or khanom saikai, while sipping saffron tea or ginger tea after all-day fasting," Julispong added.
Desserts for funerals include "halwa" -- red or white -- which can be eaten with and wrapped in a sheet of lutti, which is made from rice flour in Thailand.
Another interesting dessert is "asure", or Noah's Dessert, a mixture of grain and dried fruits especially prepared and eaten by Muslims in memory of the Big Flood when Noah's Ark saved humans and animals. Therefore, asure combines meat, grains, dried fruits, butter and sugar. It tastes sweet, salty and creamy.
Asure is also used in the Muharram ceremony of Muslims of Persian descent during the month of Muharram, which is around October. Muslims perform rituals, including fire-walking and self-flagellation, from the first to the 10th day of the first Islamic month in memory of Imam Hussein, who was killed in the 61st Islamic year in his efforts to conserve religious truths. During this festival, Muslims eat asure and drink a special dessert called sharbat and ginger tea. Sharbat is a Persian drink prepared from syrup and lemon, orange, pomegranate or rose juice, salt and crushed chillies. It is served in a small sipping cup.
Dhirnand Chuangpichit, a Shiite Muslim and also Thon Buri culture expert, said food prepared and eaten by Muslims living along the Bang Luang canal is considered part of their culture and still exists at religious ceremonies.
"Muslims of Kudee Luang, Kudee Plai Na, Kudee Charoenpas and Phadungtham Islam Mosque hold the same religious beliefs. Authentic Persian food and beverages prepared by the Khaek Chao Sen Muslims remain popular and can be found in the communities all-year round," he said.
Setthapong Jongsa-nguan, a Chinese culture expert, said Chinese desserts commonly found in Thailand are chun ping or chun pia (spring rolls), khanom thuay foo, salapao, khanom ko, bajang, khanom kheng and moon cakes. In China, moon cakes usually have red date and bean fillings. In Thailand, there are moon cakes with durian fillings.
"In China, food for auspicious occasions must be presented in even numbers, especially 12. The first and last dishes must be desserts, meaning the sweet start and end throughout a lifetime. Chinese people focus on auspicious names and features. They choose desserts of which names, shapes or features are auspicious," he noted.
Commonly found and used during Chinese festivals is tang yuan (bua loi in Thai). Tang yuan is a basic dessert for every occasion. There are various kinds of tang yuan that are made of different kinds of flour. At the end of each year, the Chinese celebrate the Tong Chiu (Bua Loi) Festival by making plain tang yuan from glutinous rice and also tang yuan with black sesame and other fillings.
In Thailand, Thai-Chinese people offer bua loi to the Chinese god Chai Sing Ia apart from khanom tao (turtle-shaped dessert) commonly used by the Hokkein people. There are two kinds of khanom tao -- the wheat flour one like salapao and the sticky rice flour and yam rice flour one with bean filling of the Hokkein people. Turtles represent longevity.
On the full-moon day of the first Chinese month, Thai-Chinese people worship the Jade Emperor, the chief of all Chinese gods, who they call Gek Siong Hong Te by offering white and red sugar pagodas decorated with a Chinese lion-shaped sugar confectionery.
Thailand has a wide variety of Thai desserts influenced by Indian, Chinese, Islamic and Western cultures, as well as various religions for everyone to enjoy.
"The love for Thai desserts among Thai people from all walks of life makes Thai desserts a part of Thai culture, which should be conserved by our generation and the next," ML Darunee concluded.
