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Spencer Low

Portuguese influence on Southeast Asian cuisines

Updated: Jan 1, 2021

The Portuguese introduced ingredients to the Asia palate that some would consider to be fundamental today. What would Thai food be like without hot chili peppers?


In terms of actual dishes, some Portuguese-influenced ones are still to be found:

  • ลูกชุบ (look choob): a Thai dessert once served reserved for the royal household, it is derived from the Portuguese bolinhos de massapão; the latter is derived from marzipan and uses almonds, which the Thai have replaced with mung beans


  • bubur terigu: this Malay-Indonesian dessert is made from wheat, or terigu, from the Portuguese word trigo




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