Roti Sai Mai

Roti sai mai is Ayutthaya's own sweet and is credited to the city's Thai Muslim community, whose ancestors have been there since the Ayutthaya kingdom traded with the Islamic world. Sai mai is spun sugar - syrup pulled and folded repeatedly by hand until it separates into very fine threads, like candy floss but denser and chewier - and it is sold with a stack of paper-thin roti pancakes, coloured pale green from pandan, pink, orange or plain, which the eater wraps the threads in themselves. That assembly is part of the point: the roti softens and the sugar goes sticky within an hour or two of packing, so it is made and sold fresh and does not travel well. Stalls line the roads around Ayutthaya, particularly the stretch near the hospital, and vendors sell to passing cars. Several families claim to be the original and the rivalry is amiable.

What you actually see

• The spun sugar - syrup pulled by hand into fine dense threads.
• The coloured roti - paper-thin pancakes in pandan green, pink and plain.
• The self-assembly - the eater wraps the threads themselves.
• The Muslim origin - credited to Ayutthaya's long-established Muslim community.

When to go

Any time; stalls operate through the day. Buy and eat within a couple of hours - it goes sticky and the roti hardens.

Honest expectations

It does not keep - the roti stiffens and the sugar clumps within hours, so it is a poor souvenir. Extremely sweet. Sold from roadside stalls to passing traffic, so stopping means pulling over on a busy road.

Nearby

Sold on the roads around Ayutthaya's historical park and the ring road.