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Thai desserts are said to reflect the three most important institutions in traditional Thai society -- home, temple and palace. Every year, several celebrations are held to mark religious holidays and other important events. One of the most widely celebrated occasions worldwide is Christmas. Families gather for a feast on Dec. 24 and 25 and renew acquaintances with one another. Gifts are given to each other and enmities are forgotten. Houses are decorated with red and green paper, candles and other knickknacks. A tree is placed at a strategic location and decorated with small light bulbs and colored balls. Children eagerly await the arrival of Santa Claus. In Thailand, families buy or make desserts to be given away as gifts to relatives and friends. Candies, cakes and cookies are just some of them. During the Yuletide holidays, every street corner has a vendor selling sweets.
In the past, people made desserts only during traditional and religious festivals such as Songkran, New Year, Buddhist Lent, as well as during special events and gatherings such as marriages, birthdays and other celebrations. Thai desserts are said to reflect the three most important institutions in traditional Thai society -- home, temple and palace. The art of making Thai desserts was started by ladies in the royal court, or "chao wang". At that time, everything had to be prepared meticulously. For this reason, noble young girls were sent to the court to learn the art of cooking, flower arrangement and needlework. The main ingredients used to make Thai desserts include rice, cassava flour, sugar and coconut. Sometimes, nuts, sesame seeds and seasonal fruits are added for flavoring. Soon after, Thais learned to incorporate Western tastes into their desserts, resulting in the creation of "thong yib" [sweet egg petals], "thong yod" [sweet egg drop], "foi thong" [sweet egg shred], "moh kaeng" [sweet pudding] and "thong muan" [crispy roll]. |
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