Anurak Thailand Tourism The tourist website about Thailand by Thaiways magazine, the most comprehensive guide to Thailand.
 
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Thai Desserts
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One of the great pleasure of being in Thailand is that there is a great abundance of eating places and the cost of eating is rather cheap when compared to those in Western countries. As Thailand is a major agricultural country, grains, vegetables, meat and all kinds of foodstuff are produced here at very reasonable prices. Besides, aquatic and marine animals are easily acquired from the sea and many rivers. These factors together with the gift of cooking of Thai people make Thailand a paradise for every food lover.
Wherever you are in Thailand, you'll surely find a good number and variety of eating places -- perhaps much more than you've ever expected. And that's why many Western visitors said that one of their pleasures while being in Thailand is EATING! When asked why? They simply said -- Because it is delicious and cheap!

Thai Desserts
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.

King Rama II (1809-1824) once composed a very beautiful poem called "A Song in Praise of Some Delicacies--Both Savouries and Sweets" to admire Thai desserts and foods made by his queen. The poem still appears in Thai textbooks for students.

As an introduction, Thaiways presents to you the recipes for some Thai desserts that were mentioned in King Rama II's poem so that you may know them and may try to make them by yourself.

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 colorful. 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.

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