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Khanom tan

Khanom tan
TypeDessert
Place of originThailand[1]
Region or stateSoutheast Asia
Main ingredientsToddy palm, coconut milk, rice flour and sugar
Similar dishesHtanthi mont, Fa gao, Bánh bò, White sugar sponge cake, Kumbilappam

Khanom tan (Thai: ขนมตาล; pronounced [kʰā.nǒm tāːn]) is a traditional Thai dessert[1] consisting of small steamed cakes flavoured with toddy palm sugar and coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves, and topped with grated coconut. It is most often found in the provinces where sugar palm is grown, such as Phetchaburi, Nakhon Pathom and Suphanburi.[2]

Etymology

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The Thai term tan /taːn˧/ (Thai: ตาล) has its origins in the Indic language,[3] as evidenced by its appearance in the Ram Khamhaeng Inscription No. 1 Face 3 Line 13, dated to 1292 CE.[4] It is derived from the Pali and Sanskrit word ताल /tāla/, which means "toddy palm" and is cognate to the Shan term htan* and the Northern Thai and Lao term tan. This connection can be seen in the similar spellings of tan and htan*, both ultimately derived from tāla as follows: tan ← htan*, tan ← tāla.[5]

History

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Khanom Tan is a dessert that dates from the Sukhothai period. During that time, the main ingredients used in preparing desserts were rice flour, sugar and coconut, in contrast to desserts from the later Ayutthaya period, which are based on a mixture of eggs and sugar. Today, Khanom Tan is not well known among younger generations due to its disappearance from street markets, but it is still a popular Thai dessert outside of the Bangkok area.[6]

Preparation

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Khanom tan is made using a similar technique to the steamed dessert khanom kluay, the key difference being that khanom tan requires the batter to be fermented to achieve a spongy texture.[7] Khanom tan is made from coconut milk, rice flour, a raising agent and toddy palm fruit (palm sugar).[7] Toddy palm fruit is rich in vitamins A and C, has a strong smell when crushed, and is juicy and soft, similar to lychee.[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Hesseltine, C. W., and Wang, H. L. (1986). Indigenous Fermented Food of Non-Western Origin: Mycologia Memoir No. 11; Published for The New York Botanical Garden in Collaboration with The Mycological Society of America. Berlin, Stuttgart: J. Cramer. p. 321. ISBN 978-344-3-76001-4
    • Redzepi, R., Beaumont, A. and Ying, C. (2018). "Leaves Make Things Steamy", You and I Eat the Same: On the Countless Ways Food and Cooking Connect Us to One Another. New York: Workman Publishing Co., Inc. p. 101. ISBN 978-157-9-65840-3
    • Nishinari, K. (2020). "Historical and Geographical Background of Thai Food", Textural Characteristics of World Foods. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p. 159. ISBN 978-111-9-43069-8
  2. ^ "» ขนมตาล (ขนมไทย) Toddy Palm Cake (Kanom Tarn)". ไทยอาชีพ เสริมรายได้ อาชีพอิสระ งานฝีมือ ธุรกิจSMEs แฟรนไชส์.
  3. ^ Sidwell, Paul and Jenny, Mathias (2021). The Languages and Linguistics of Mainland Southeast Asia: A Comprehensive Guide (eBook); The World of Linguistics Vol. 8. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. para 2. doi:10.1515/9783110558142 ISBN 9783110558142
  4. ^ The Fine Arts Department of Thailand (1984). Charuk samai Sukhothai จารึกสมัยสุโขทัย [The Stone Inscriptions of Sukhothai] (in Thai). Published to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Thai alphabet. Bangkok: The Fine Arts Department of Thailand. p. 16. ISBN 9789747922837
  5. ^ Multiple sources:
    • Scott, James George and Hardiman, John Percy (1900). "Glossary," Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States Part 2, Vol. 1. New York, NY: AMS Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-404-16860-4 "Tan, toddy-palm."
    • Current, Dean (1988). Agroforestry Practices in Selected Areas of Burma: Preliminary Recommendations, Issue 5 of Multipurpose Tree Species Network Research Series: Manual. Arlington, VA: Winrock International, F/FRED Management Office. p. 34. "Tan (Htan*. Toddy Palm) Borassus flabellifer Palmae."
  6. ^ "ประวัติขนมตาล". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Khanom tan - Lanna Food | Northern Thai Information Center, Chiang Mai University Library". library.cmu.ac.th. Archived from the original on 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  8. ^ "ประโยชน์ของลุกตาล". Retrieved 2 March 2018.