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Food and Drinks
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What is royal Thai cuisine? The Hua Hin resort serving food fit for a king

The summer cuisine enjoyed by Thai royalty is celebrated at Devasom Hua Hin Resort, with palace-inspired dishes using the finest ingredients

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Khao chae at Pribpri restaurant at the Devasom Hua Hin Resort in Thailand. A Thai palace cuisine dish, it includes cool, perfumed rice with iced, jasmine-scented water and side dishes such as shrimp paste balls, sweet fried fish, stuffed green peppers wrapped in egg, pork floss and stir-fried preserved radish in coconut milk. Photo: Devasom Hua Hin
Lisa Cam

How did the royal families of old keep cool in the summer?

Many of us have heard of places like the Summer Palace in Beijing, China, and the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso in Segovia, Spain, where monarchs used to retreat from the heat.

However, less mentioned is the Klai Kangwon Palace in Hua Hin, Thailand, which remains in use by the Thai royal family even now. A special type of cuisine is still served to the family during the summer months.

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Hua Hin’s royal pedigree is the foundation of its charm. In the 1920s, Prince Purachatra, the director of the state railway system, established the landmark Railway Hotel in the town, while another royal, Prince Krom Phra Naresworarit, bestowed the name Hua Hin upon the beach near the palace that he built in the area.

The destination was cemented when King Rama VII built his summer retreat there, called Klai Kangwon – which translates to “far from worries”. This palace holds such significance that King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016, used it as one of his primary residences.
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This royal history transformed a quiet fishing village into the esteemed seaside escape that is Hua Hin today.

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