The popularity of Thai desserts was also surveyed for the study "Finding Thailand's Place in World Cuisine in the Next Ten Years," and the most popular were banana in coconut milk (kluai buat chi), sweet glutinous rice jam (khao niao kaeo), sweet rice noodles in coconut milk (lotchong nam kathi), Thai pudding with coconut topping (tako), Thai custard with coconut (maphrao sangkhaya), Gold Thread (foi thong), Thai custard ( sangkhaya), Gold Touch (thong yip), and Gold Drop (thong yot).
The researcher observed that, when it came to desserts, the Asians differed from the Europeans and Americans, many of whom said that they usually did not eat dessert. Along with the desserts mentioned above, Asian people enjoy sweet glutinous rice with durian in coconut milk (khao niao turian), thick vermicelli in coconut milk syrup (pla krim khai tao), and sweet glutinous rice with mango (khao niao mamuang).
However, the popularity and the choices of Thai desserts among foreigners are gradually changing, partly because of the expansion of Thai restaurants in foreign countries, the growth of the Thai dessert export industry, and the growing number of foreigners visiting and living in Thailand.
Apart from the Thai desserts mentioned earlier, there are several that seem outstanding and charming because of their unique shapes, colors, and flavors. These special traits reflect the wealth of local ingenuity and cultural arts over generations. Some well-known desserts include balls made from crushed beans and wrapped in egg (met kha nun), Thai custard (khanom mo kaeng), Thai layer cake (khanom chan), rice dumpling in coconut milk soup (bua loi), pumpkin boiled in coconut milk and sugar (fak thong kaeng buat), candied banana (kluai chueam), crushed beans in fruit shapes and dipped in Thai jelly (luk chup), and crisp water chestnut in coconut milk (thapthim krop).
