Khanom Farang, or "Foreign Snack"
by Thanusingha Bakery House, Bangkok, Thailand
Khanom Farang, which literally means "Foreign Snack", can only be found in Baan Kudichin, Bangkok's historic Portuguese neighborhood.
Portugal was the first European country to establish diplomatic relations with Siam. Today, Santa Cruz Church, a beautiful old Renaissance Revival church is surrounded by the historic Baan Kudichin neighborhood, once home to Bangkok's early Portuguese expat population.
Some of the old families living in the neighborhood work hard to preserve Baan Kudichin's unique culinary culture. Part of that is "Khanom Farang", or "Foreign Snack", a bread-like cake topped with dried fruit and dusted in brown sugar.
Thanusingha Bakery House has been making Khanom Farang for several generations using a secret recipe that the family knows by heart. The result is a sweet, flaky cake that people come from all around Bangkok to taste. The family often wakes up at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning to begin mixing the ingredients, and all of the cakes are baked in the tiny bakery set up in the ground floor of their house. Just come right up to the window to order!
The Khanom Farang - named so because the Portuguese brought bread and cakes to Siam long ago - is soft and crumbly on the inside with a crispy crust. The dried fruit make it sweet, but in a mild, old-fashioned way. It's not overly sweet like some modern pastries.
It's a tasty snack with a special history, and it's no wonder that Baan Kudichin has become famous for this little Portuguese-style cake.
 |
| khnom farang (large) - 40 THB |
Price
Small - 20 baht
Large - 40 baht
Location
The bakery is located down a twisting side street in the historic Baan Kudichin neighborhood. The neighborhood is built surrounding the famous Santa Cruz Church, and is easily accessed by taking the MRT to Sanam Chai Station and crossing the Memorial Bridge or taking the ferry across the river to Thonburi.
237 7 Soi Kudeejeen, Wat Kanlaya, Thon Buri, Bangkok 10600
Official Facebook Page
Travel Tips
While nearby, don't pass up the chance to visit the famous and historic Santa Cruz Church, built by Portuguese expats in 1770.You can also visit the Baan Kudichin House Museum, a free museum with exhibits in both Thai and English dedicated to the long history of the Portuguese in old Siam. The museum is excellent, and has a very nice cafe. It's free to visit, but purchasing a coffee to help support the museum is appreciated.
Comments
Post a Comment