Thailand - Eating-out - Sweets and Deserts

Like Thai soups and main dishes, Thai desserts are also delicious, can be very colourful and diverse. They are meant to be as pleasing to the eye as the palate. Thai children and women have a particular liking for them and eat them both after and between meals. Most Thai sweets are made from five simple local ingredients: coconut cream, coconut, rice flour, palm sugar and eggs.

Below: Glutinous rice flour balls in coconut cream (bua loi)

Some favourite sweets among the Thai’s are:

Banana in coconut cream (kluai buat chi)
Banana in syrup and coconut cream (kluai chueam)
Diced water-chestnuts in coconut cream (thapthim krop)
Egg custard (sangkhaya)
Egg custard with mung bean flour (mo kaeng)
Fruit-shaped desserts made of mung-bean flour with natural colouring (lukchup)
Glutinous rice flour balls in coconut cream (bua loi)
Jelly with coconut cream (tako)
Mung bean flour coated with sweet egg yolk (met khanun)
Pumpkin in coconut cream (fakthong buat)
Sweet egg yolk cup (thong yip)
Sweet egg yolk drop (thong yot)
Sweet shredded egg yolk (foi thong)

The list is not exhaustive. There are varieties and variations of Thai sweetmeats for sale everywhere from street food stalls, markets and small shops right through to the top department stores and restaurants. When you can try and taste some of the above to appreciate the various textures, tastes and flavours of Thai desserts.

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