Sometimes it can take a real scorcher of a day on vacation, lazily strolling through town, or down a boardwalk with an ice cream in your hand to truly appreciate how fantastic Thai ice creams really are!
For most visitors in Thailand, eating an ice cream is heavenly. After all, with the hot tropical weather all year round, it’s nice to be able to grab something cool. When tourists reach a street-side ice cream cart, it’s only then they realize how unusual ice cream in Thailand is. It’s certainly not the same as what you normally eat. Let us find out what makes them so different!
What is Thai ice cream made from
You may be a little surprised to know that a lot of Thai ice creams aren’t made from cow’s milk. Instead, it’s whipped up from coconut milk. The reason for this is, most Asians still have a problem digesting dairy milk as they don’t grow up with it being used in food. Thus, ice cream with coconut milk is easier on their stomachs. It also makes the ice cream lighter and even more delicious.
Flavors of ice cream in Thailand
The first thing you will notice when you choose ice cream from a Thai shop are the unusual flavors. Sure, you can sometimes get strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate, but most Thai ice cream vendors favor the Asian-preferred flavors as those are the best-sellers, and the ones you will see a lot. Ice cream flavors like mung bean, green tea, taro, jack fruit, ginger, coconut, sala, star gooseberry, and sour Chinese plum will be most of your choices. Be adventurous, as they really are the best ice cream flavors you will ever eat, and far more interesting than boring vanilla.
How is ice cream in Thailand served?
While modern Thai ice creams in places like Bangkok will often have ice cream in a cone or on a sundae dish, most other ice creams outside the city still eat it “the traditional way”. That means two or three scoops of ice cream are served inside a hot dog bun that is first covered with a thin layer of sticky rice, and then topped with a variety of traditional toppings. These include corn, ginger, palm kernel, and peanuts. All of these have some condensed milk poured over it before it’s served to you. Yum!
Where to get the best ice cream in Thailand
If you want to try traditional Thai ice cream, buy it from street vendors at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market or from one of the thousands of small sellers pushing stainless steel ice cream carts around busy city streets all over Thailand. These guys sell the “real deal” and, at only 10 baht for a paper bowl of two scoops of coconut ice cream topped with several toppings and condensed milk. The ice-creams are incredibly cheap and delicious too.
The way Thai people serve ice cream is not just different, but is also very exciting!
