Feel Portugal culture in Bangkok

[Global Times special reporter Ye Xiaozhong] Walking has always been a way of traveling comfortably. Even if you are in high temperature tropical, I am still willing to trust my feet. Walking, the scenery will come to the face, and even set and stay for you. The author never felt that Bangkok was a place suitable for walking until I met "22 Bangkok Walking routes". In recent years, the Thai government has flooded his fists, trying to plan the coastal trails, clean up the old buildings on the shore, and reproduce the scenery of the Chao Phraya River.

Following the text in the book, I walked into the Kudi Chin block on the west side of the Chao Phraya River. Tourists are usually active on the east side. Until the Big Mac Shopping Center Iconsiam rose on the west, people began to set foot on the opposite bank of the river. There is a Portuguese village in the Kudi Chin neighborhood that lives the descendants of the Portuguese. Most of them are Catholics, and they will place watching angel statues on the door. There are only streets in the neighborhood, about two meters wide, and the cars cannot come in. The walkway is twisted, like a maze, and occasionally to death, he has to look back.

In the era of great sailing, the Portuguese first came to Asia with advanced navigation technology. After occupying the Guo Asia of India, they continued to south and captured Malacca in 1511. In order to control the trade of spices, its footprints are all over Southeast Asia. The relationship between Portugal and Thailand can be traced back to the 16th century. Portugal was the first European country to contact the Grand City dynasty in Thailand. It not only established a stronghold in the Thai capital's Grand City at the time, but also became the dominant foreign merchants. At that time, the Portuguese signed a contract with the King of Thailand to provide arms and firearms in exchange for the right to settle and do business in Dacheng. The Portuguese Embassy in Thailand was established in Bangkok in 1820.

In 1567, the first batch of Portuguese monks came to Thailand and built the first Catholic Church in Greater City. After the Dacheng was destroyed, the ruler at that time would be closer to Bangkok in the Gulf of Siam. The Portuguese continued to provide military fire to the Thai King to drive away the troubles of the troubled Burmese army. Rough southern European colors.

This neighborhood around the Catholic Church currently lives about 300 families, most of which are Catholics, and many of them are descendants of Portuguese and locals. They have a unique historical and cultural custom. Catholicism and angels. In order to preserve their culture, the locals have also transformed a wooden house to show the daily necessities and furniture used by locals in the past, while displaying the historical relationship between Thailand and Portugal.

Portuguese merchants have introduced weapons and products from all over the world, and have also affected Thailand's culture and diet. Portuguese cuisine entered the Thai court and passed on to ordinary people's homes. Occasionally, I can taste a dessert called Foi Thong in Bangkok Restaurant, which is derived from Portugal and is called FIOS de OVOS. A bundle of egg -like egg shreds, soaked in syrup, the shape and color are mouthwatering. Because its strip symbolizes longevity and the golden yellow meaning is auspicious, it is often seen in the Thai wedding banquets and festivals. PUNG in Thailand refers to bread, derived from Portuguese PUN. The daily language is more stubborn than food, and insisted on retaining distant nostalgia.

Along with weapons and commodities to Thailand, there are Portuguese cuisine and religion.

Kudi Chin has many generations of cake workpiece, selling a snack called Khanom Farang. Many have inherited 5 generations. The cake was baked according to the traditional formula of the Portuguese. However, because Thailand could not find yeast and butter at that time, they improved on the traditional sponge cake. The ingredients were only flour, duck eggs and sugar.

The baking master will first put the cake paste into the copper mold, put it in the oven, and then cover a piece of iron plate full of fire charcoal. It is estimated that it is to avoid scorching, the master has to open the iron plate every one or two minutes. Foreigners' cake shapes are similar to cup cakes. The taste and texture are similar to the chicken cake we often eat. It also sprinkled with sugar and put the raisins and persimmons. This "plus method" is said to originated from the inspiration of the Chinese. "Sugar represents a fortune. I hope you can make people not see how much money you have!" Come good luck. "

Although the baked cake is a bit dry and the texture is fluffy, the locals have already used this traditional taste. Now Bangkok can find raw materials that are more suitable for making cakes, but the locals are still unwilling to change. The boss said in an interview: "We have to retain this 500 -year history, because this is the starting point for Thailand to make cakes in cakes. ","

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