泰国美味甜品的历史

AS IT IS 2015-08-12 Thai Treat is a Sweet Bite of History 泰国美味甜品的历史

The Chao Phraya River is an important part of daily life in Thailand. The Chao Phraya flows through Bangkok on its way to the Gulf¹ of Thailand. Years ago, many immigrants from Portugal and China set up homes along the river in what is now the Thai capital. Their lives soon changed in their new country. But one sweet food they enjoyed has remained much the same over the years.

The Santa Cruz Church has been a well-known building in Bangkok for hundreds of years. Nearby, in the narrow streets behind the building, you can still find khanom farang kutii jiin. In Thai, that means the “foreigners’ snack of the Chinese church.”

The way to make the little Portuguese² dry cakes is simple. They contain duck eggs, sugar, wheat flour, raisins³, and are covered with syrup⁴ and persimmon.

Cooking the popular treats is not easy. The equipment used at the Thanusingha Bakery is a trade secret.

But at the competing Larn Mae Pao bakery, there is no secret. Everything is out in the open. The muffins are baked on small stones.  They are heated by gas from below and coal above.

This Thai woman says, “What makes kanom farang kutii jiin special is that it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. But we never make them too crispy.”

Kanom farang kutii jiin is also made without baking powder, yeast⁵, or other additives⁶. People say it really tastes like it did centuries ago.

The owner of the bakery says, “If someone from the 16th century tried these, they would say they’re similar to those of that time. Some Portuguese who have traveled here say they do taste like what their parents and grandparents made.” 

The sweet little food of the Portuguese Catholic settlers is still making people happy.

This man says, “It’s my first time having this. I will come back!” 

The bakers⁷ of Bangkok hope people will enjoy their tasty treat for many years to come. It remains⁸ a link to the Portuguese soldiers, businessmen, and religious workers who first traveled to the Kingdom of Siam 500 years ago.

Words in This Story

church – n. a Christian⁹ religious center

snack – n. a treat; a small piece of food eaten between meals

cakes – n. a sweet food that is normally cooked with dry heat

crispy – adj. having a firm, dry surface, but one that can break easily

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

3 raisins   

n.葡萄干( raisin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These raisins come from Xinjiang,they taste delicious. 这些葡萄干产自新疆，味道很甜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mother put some raisins in the cake. 母亲在糕饼中放了一些葡萄干。 来自辞典例句

4 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

5 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

6 additives   

n.添加剂( additive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• chemical additives in petrol 汽油中的化学添加剂
• It'says on the packet that these crisps contain no additives. 包装上说这些炸薯片不含添加剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 bakers   

n.面包师( baker的名词复数 )；面包店；面包店店主；十三

参考例句：

• The Bakers have invited us out for a meal tonight. 贝克一家今晚请我们到外面去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bakers specialize in catering for large parties. 那些面包师专门负责为大型宴会提供食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。