Golden Threads and Sugar Drops: How 16th Century Portuguese Exploration and Trade Shaped Thai Sweets

June 19, 2025

A Sweet Meeting in Ayutthaya

In the 16th century, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya (the capital of Thailand before Bangkok) began receiving European visitors with a sweet tooth. Portuguese traders and missionaries were among the first Westerners in Siam (former name of Thailand), arriving in the 1500s to trade and spread Christianity. Along with goods and gospel, they brought new culinary techniques and ingredients. These foreigners introduced the concept of rich egg-yolk desserts cooked in sugar syrup – something previously unknown in Thai kitchens. Thai people had long made sweets from rice, coconut, and palm sugar, but the idea of using copious egg yolks and sugar came with the Portuguese. It was a culinary revolution in the royal court, sparked by an unlikely cultural exchange.

Maria Guyomar de Pinha: The Queen of Thai Desserts

One woman stands out in this East-meets-West dessert saga: Maria Guyomar de Pinha, known in Thai as Thao Thong Kip Ma (ท้าวทองกีบม้า). Maria was of mixed Portuguese, Japanese, and Bengali descent – a cosmopolitan heritage well-suited to bridging cuisines. Born in Ayutthaya in 1664, she married Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon (Chaophraya Wichayen - ) who had considerable influence in the Siamese Court at the time, and she later served as a cook in King Narai’s palace.

There, Maria introduced a dazzling array of egg-based sweets to Siamese aristocrats. She drew on Portuguese convent baking traditions (Portuguese nuns famously used up leftover yolks from wine clearing and cloth starching for sweets) to create treats the likes of which Siam had never seen. Egg yolk, sugar, and syrup became her tools for innovation. Many of Maria’s creations were golden in color, which pleased Thai aristocrats – in Thai culture, gold (thong in Thai) symbolizes prosperity and good fortune. King Narai and his daughter, Princess Sudawadi, adored these new desserts and helped spread their fame, and indeed many of them are still beloved in Thailand today.

Maria’s legacy lives on in Thai kitchens. She is credited with introducing or inventing several desserts that remain Thai classics – from soft custards and puddings to delicate golden confections. But perhaps the most famous are the trio of Thong desserts, named for their auspicious golden color. Let’s explore a few of these Thai sweets that clearly show a Portuguese influence:

Foi Thong (ฝอยทอง – “Golden Threads”) – The most iconic Portuguese-inspired Thai sweet, foi thong consists of fine strands of egg yolk dropped into boiling sugar syrup to form silky golden threads. Maria created this dish based on the Portuguese fios de ovos (egg threads). Thin streams of egg yolk are drizzled into fragrant jasmine-infused syrup using a special funnel, creating tender sweet strands. Thais also serve foi thong as celebrations because its unbroken threads symbolize long life and undying love. The bright yellow-orange color also resembles gold, conveying wishes of lasting prosperity.

Thong Yod (ทองหยอด – “Golden Drops”) – Thong Yod are round, drop-shaped morsels of egg yolk mixture gently boiled in syrup until set into soft golden droplets. Maria Guyomar adapted this recipe from Portugal’s ovos moles de Aveiro, a sweet egg-yolk confection from Aveiro. To make Thong Yod, egg yolk is often mixed with a bit of flour, then carefully spooned into bubbling syrup to cook. The result is bite-sized syrup-soaked drops with a smooth, rich center. Thong Yod’s name and form carry auspicious meaning: each “golden drop” is like a drop of wealth, given to bless someone with unending prosperity. These shiny orbs are a common sight in assortments of nine auspicious Thai desserts at weddings, housewarmings, and other celebrations.
Thong Yip (ทองหยิบ – “Pinched Gold” or “Gold Cup”) – A close consin to Thong Yod, Thong Yip is also an egg-yolk sweet introduced by Maria Guyomar. It was inspired by Portuguese trouxas de ovos (egg yolk crepes). To make Thong Yip, a slightly larger amount of egg yolk batter is cooked in syrup into a round, pudding-like disc, then quickly pinched into an elaborate flower shape while still pliable. Each piece usually has 5 or 8 folds, reflecting lucky numbers in Thai culture. With its delicate petal-like edges, Thong Yip looks like a little golden bloom. It is given as a gift with the wish that the recipient’s fortunes will “pick up” like one scoops up gold.

In the image above, you can see arrays of the sweet yolk mixture and the finished Foi Thing, Thong Yod, and Thong Yip. The cooking method came straight from 16th-century Portuguese convent kitchens. The yolks are beaten and often strained, then cooked by dripping or shaping them in hot syrup until they solidify into tender sweets. Thai cooks adopted these techniques eagerly. They added their own touches, such as scenting the syrup with jasmine flowers or pandan leaves for an aromatic sweetness.

Thai Presentation, Symbolism, and Adaptation

In the 16th Century, Thai culture embraced these new sweets not just for their taste but also for their symbolism. The word “thong” means gold in Thai, instantly associating these desserts with wealth, glory, and royalty. Thus, desserts like Thong Yod and Thong Yip became known as “auspicious desserts”, served at celebratory events to convey blessings. Their golden color – derived naturally from egg yolks – was considered both beautiful and lucky. The legacy of those Portuguese-inspired desserts is still very much alive in Thailand. Stroll through a Thai market or peek at the spread in a Thai wedding, and you’ll likely spot bright yellow foi thong nests or trays of golden thong yod and thong yip glistening among the offerings. These treats remain popular crowd-pleasers, a must-have for auspicious ceremonies and a nostalgic favorite for sweet-toothed Thais of all ages. They also continue to evolve – modern Thai pastry chefs have created fusion items like cakes and ice creams topped with foi thong, marrying old and new in delicious ways.