Traditional Confectionery Cultures of Southeast Asia Using Agar and Mung Beans: Cultural Trajectories in Thailand and Vietnam

Abstract

This study aims to examine the cultural development of agar- and mung bean–based confectionery cultures in Southeast Asia through a comparative analysis of Thai Look Choup and Vietnamese Bánh Trái Cây. Both are traditional sweets characterized by shaping mung bean paste into fruit forms, coloring them, and coating them with agar jelly. Field investigations were conducted in Thailand (Bangkok and Chiang Mai) and Vietnam (Hue and Ho Chi Minh City). Comparative analyses were carried out from the perspectives of historical background, production methods, usage, and social functions through literature reviews, participant observation, interviews, practical confectionery workshops, and field surveys on seaweeds used as raw materials for agar production.

The results revealed that Thai Look Choup developed as a royal court confection influenced by Portuguese sweets and has now spread nationwide as a decorative confection commonly used for gifts and as offerings to temples and monks. In contrast, Vietnamese Bánh Trái Cây has been preserved as a regional traditional confection closely associated with the court culture of Hue. Compared with the Thai version, it is slightly larger in size and is often displayed in ways that resemble fruits growing on branches, indicating its ritual function and symbolic role as an altar offering.

Mung beans have been widely utilized throughout Southeast Asia due to their compatibility with rice-cultivating societies, while agar possesses gelling properties suitable for tropical climates. These shared ingredients have therefore played important roles in the formation of regional confectionery cultures. In Vietnam, seaweed and agar were also confirmed to be used as part of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. These findings suggest that even when the same ingredients are shared, they can undergo diverse cultural developments through historical exchanges and the value systems of local societies.