If the fruits and vegetables shown here don't look quite real, it's because they're not. They're marzipan. To be precise they're not really marzipan either, there's no almond paste in them. What they are is luk chup a Thai dessert whose name translates as "dipped fruits"I picked up this assortment from a Thai grocery in my native Queens. These jewel-toned morsels are made from a mixture of mung bean, sugar and coconut milk. They're coated with a thick jelly that forms a skin on the fruit. The bright colors come from natural pigments like turmeric for yellow and screwpine for green. To be honest I didn't real find luk chup that tasty. Perhaps I need to revisit them.
