The Incredible Story of Thailand's Portuguese

In the 16th century, a few dozen Portuguese mercenary soldiers became the first European settlers in what is now Thailand.

Their descendants now live in a small cluster in Bangkok called Kudeejeen, still practicing old traditions on a parcel of land granted at the formation of the city in gratitude for their bravery in battle.

We visited their neighborhood, met the descendants of those first soldiers, and tried the food that is so unique that many dishes are literally only found within these few narrow alleys.

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0:00 - The World's Rarest Dessert
2:47 - Kudeejeen
4:11 - How They Got Here
7:59 - Lunch with a Direct Descendant
12:17 - Kudeejeen Today
14:10 - True Fusion Food
15:50 - Conclusion

Restaurants featured:
Thanusingha Bakery
Macaroni by Chris
Helo Nomsod
Window Cafe
all Kudeejeen, Thonburi, Thailand

[stark]

A Thai here! A lot of our desserts are actually of Portuguese origins/influence, especially ones made with egg yolk and sugar, often with "thong" (gold) in their names (eg. "Foi Thong" originating from "Fios de ovos")

[kenwongsa]

Os portugueses são bons amigos da Tailândia. Outros impérios ocidentais tentaram colonizar-nos, os portugueses ajudaram-nos a defender a Tailândia. Amo Portugal da Tailândia.

[North-gzet]

I am Portuguese Canadian, There is so much to learn of Portuguese history around the world, I met someone once from Bangladesh and they shared amazing stories that I had no idea the extent of the Portuguese culture.

[dnuno]

If we are linked by food, we are linked by the heart ❤ 🇹🇭 🇵🇹

[jgjqgnx]

I am a Thai living in Belgium. I love Portugal and the Portuguese people. I’m going back to live in Portugal soon. Because for me Portugal made me feel like I was in Thailand due to the weather, food, etc.❤❤

[BiSkJukebox]

I am Portuguese and I can say with some degree of confidence these dishes look like the ones my grandma made, so ... I'm pretty impressed. I guess I have to go to Thailand soon

[Orange-icmp]

Hey im Thais, that kingdom maybe destroyed but our love for Portugal and Portugese are eternal

[pailinnorton]

Wow! Very interesting story. I'm Thai and have been living in Portugal for 3 years now. Very proud of the connection between Thailand and Portugal❤

[winterx]

I come from Philippines, and became interested in Portuguese cuisine and culture because I was shocked at how much influence they had with food in almost every continent! I dated a Brazilian before and they told me that they were amazed at how much influence Portuguese food had with other countries from Japan (tempura), India (vindaloo) to even US with Hawaiian dinner rolls.

[heliote]

I'm Portuguese and love Thailand, it's my second home where I have lived and visited many times in the past 13 years. It's lovely to still see this strong connection after like 500 years when Portugal, the first European nation, made contact with the Kingdom of Ayutthaya.

[zitarodrigues]

The Portuguese heritage in Friendship, Biology and Traditions.
Thank you very much, love and a big hug. We are together!

[quantummotion]

Canadian of Portuguese descent here. This story just blew me away. I had no idea of this town or the historical connection. It's wonderful to see the blending of foods to become new classics. Thank you for bringing this story to light, and telling the story and showing the traditions of these people.

[NotAMoralSaint]

Awesome video! I have Portuguese ancestry, and I’m always impressed with the willingness of the Portuguese to intermarry and integrate into local communities.

[ALFRABEIRA]

Portuguese here. Very proud of my country and its history. I hope some day i can visit that neighbourhood and taste it's delicacies.

[jayhuxley]

Now I am sure, the Portuguese were the people who most influenced the world.

[ritalino]

Portuguese here! I'm always stunned by how we managed to go so far and influence so many people around the world, whilst being such a small country! This resilience is still part of our soul and seeing Portuguese culture so much present in these communities brings me such a sense of happiness

[brixcosmo]

I love to learn about these interactions between Medieval Portuguese and the Peoples they met while sailing to Africa and Asia since the 1400-1500's. Our Gastronomy was also very influenced by them. Today Portuguese Gastronomy is considered the 4th Best in the World by the Taste Atlas also due to those influences. Thanks for this class! Much love from Portugal ❤️🇵🇹

[azroyazhar]

Im from northern Malaysia..and lots of thai food also influenced us...indirectly...the Portuguese influenced us too 😊

[chrisnogueira]

Proud of my ancestors ..I am Portuguese and proud of having lusitanian blood running in my veins.

[marinagomes]

É impressionante como o legado português não se perdeu. Portugal deveria fazer alguma coisa por essas pessoas hoje, Por exemplo oferecer a todos uma viagem a Portugal e conhecerem o seu passado