Khanom tan (Thai:ขนมตาล;pronounced[kʰā.nǒmtāːn]) is a traditional Thaidessert[1] consisting of small steamed cakes flavoured withtoddy palm sugar and coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves, and topped with grated coconut. It is most often found in the provinces wheresugar palm is grown, such asPhetchaburi,Nakhon Pathom andSuphanburi.[2]
TheThai termtan /taːn˧/ (Thai:ตาล) has its origins in the Indic language,[3] as evidenced by its appearance in theRam Khamhaeng Inscription No. 1 Face 3 Line 13, dated to 1292 CE.[4] It is derived from thePali andSanskrit word ताल /tāla/, which means "toddy palm" and is cognate to theShan termhtan* and theNorthern Thai andLao termtan. This connection can be seen in the similar spellings oftan andhtan*, both ultimately derived fromtāla as follows:tan ←htan*,tan ←tāla.[5]
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 theBangkok area.[6]
Khanom tan is made using a similar technique to the steamed dessertkhanom kluay, the key difference being that khanom tan requires the batter to be fermented to achieve a spongy texture.[7] Khanom tan is made fromcoconut milk,rice flour, araising 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 tolychee.[8]
^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.ISBN978-344-3-76001-4
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.ISBN978-157-9-65840-3
Nishinari, K. (2020). "Historical and Geographical Background of Thai Food",Textural Characteristics of World Foods. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p. 159.ISBN978-111-9-43069-8
^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:10.1515/9783110558142ISBN9783110558142
^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.ISBN9789747922837
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.ISBN0-404-16860-4 "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."
