The ritual of dessert punctuates the end of a meal at most Western tables. In Southeast Asia, however, sweets tend to be taken at any time of the day, generally as a snack or for breakfast and, quite often, in liquid form.
Banana, mango, papaya, coconut and coconut milk, as well as glutinous rice, are some of the characteristic ingredients found in Asian sweets. In Thailand, fried bananas are popular—as well as bananas in coconut cream, which also are consumed in Cambodia and Vietnam. The universal urge for comfort food in this part of the world is fulfilled with pudding dishes. Many are prepared with black and/or sticky (white) rice, tapioca, and corn.