It’s their ‘Destiny’: how a TV series is promoting Thai sweets

The romance–comedy–time travel drama based on a script by Thai novelist Chanyawee Sompreeda, also known as Rompaeng, went viral almost as soon as it hit the small screen on February 21, 2018.

The drama was later adapted into a spin-off film released on July 28 last year, and the first episode in its sequel was aired on Wednesday (October 18).

Apart from its humorous and romantic storyline, the series has promoted interest in many of the items that appear in the drama, including Thai sweets introduced by Maria Guyomar de Pina known as Thao Thong Kip Ma.

A Siamese woman of mixed Japanese-Portuguese-Bengali ancestry who lived in Ayutthaya in the 17th century, she worked as a cook in the palace during the reign of King Narai and introduced many new desserts to Siamese cuisine, such as Khanom Mo Kaeng, Thong Muan, Thong Yot, Thong Yip, Foi Thong, Sangkaya and Khanom Phing.

Mali Pakaporn, 80, an Ayutthaya resident who is a descendant of Maria Guyomar, has set up a community enterprise in Mueang district to preserve Thai desserts.

However, the export of Thai sweets is very low compared to other countries, accounting for only 6% of total exports.

According to the Commerce Ministry's Office of Permanent Secretary, global exports of sugar and confectionery products totalled 123 billion baht in the first eight months of this year.

The top five sugar and confectionery exporters are Indonesia (32.53 billion baht), China (21.47 billion baht), Philippines (12.40 billion baht), South Korea (11.38 billion baht) and Malaysia (8.92 billion baht).

Sukhum Chaleysub, director of Suan Dusit Poll, believes Thailand can promote its sweets internationally.

Government agencies can promote Thai sweets along with culture, use technology to extend shelf life, include them in learning courses and support entrepreneurs to further develop them, he said.