Khantoke Refined Dining

Most Travelers who visit the Northern provinces, especially Chiang Mai, have an opportunity experience the ‘khantoke’ style of dining. However, not many people truly understand the tradition behind this eating culture as it has been passed on to today’s generation.
The general perception is that Khantoke dining simply means the normal eating practice of the northern people – sitting on the floor and eating local dishes such as a kind of chili paste called ‘Nam Prik Noom’ and fried crispy pork skin. However, ‘Khantoke’ is actually northern word user to connote a special kind of dish or plate for holding food. Normally, the dishes are made from teak wood or coconut shells. The same kind of Khantoke dish can be found in northeastern Thailand and parts of southern China, although they are usually made of woven bamboo or rattan. People from different zones may have a different name for the dish. Like ‘Toke.’

There are three sizes of Khantoke to indicate the social status of the diner. ‘Khantoke Luang’ is the biggest size with a width of around 25-50 inches. It is used only by high-ranking nobles and monks. People believe that offering Khantoke Luang to monks is a way to show respect to Buddha.
‘Khantoke Haan’ is the middle-sized Khantoke, measuring around 17-24 inches wide. It is used by wealthy families. Finally ‘Khantoke Noi’ the smallest size, is used by ordinary people.

In the past, Khantoke would be used for special meals and in many ceremonies like weddings, funerals, housewarming celebrations and major religious holidays. The dishes served comprised northern ‘ Hang-Lae’ curry, ‘Nam Pril Ong’ chill paste, northern style sausage called ‘Sai Oua’ fried crispy pork skin, sticky rice topped with caramel (Khao Tan) and steamed flour confections filled with sweet bean or coconut meat caller ‘Khanom Jok’ or ‘Kanom Tien’.
No Khantoke dinner is complete without traditional performances, especially the ‘fingernail dance’ for welcoming honorable guests or marking Buddhist events. In this dance the dancers wear elegant artificial fingernails and use movements imitating the stately gait of the elephant, which is considered a highly ranked animal. Other popular performances are the sword dance and the skill spinning dance.
This coming winter is probably the best time to visit northern Thailand to take advantage of the cool weather. If you get a chance to go, I highly recommend you treat yourself to a test of the beautiful eating culture of the northern region. Although to day the Khantoke dinners offered at Chiang Mai restaurants do not all strictly follow the traditional practices as in the past, they are still a fun and different dining experience that can help us absorb the beautiful tradition of our northern ancestors.

amazing thailand, Unseen Thailand