A famous souvenir from Samut Songkhram "Raman Kalamae" Uniquely wrapped in areca palm sheaths, the only one of its kind in Thailand, this is a living Mon wisdom that preserves almost all traditional production methods.
On 2 Aug 2026 GMT+7, reporters reported that at Wat Sattha Tham, also known as Wat Mon, in Bang Jakreng Subdistrict, Mueang District, Samut Songkhram, every batch of Kalamae is still stirred solely by human labor for 6-8 hours. It uses only three ingredients: glutinous rice flour, fresh coconut milk, and palm sugar. During stirring, excess coconut oil is continuously skimmed off until the Kalamae achieves a soft, chewy texture with a fragrant, sweet, and rich flavor. It is then wrapped in areca palm sheaths instead of banana leaves or plastic, which helps absorb excess oil, reduce rancid odors, extend shelf life, and create unique natural patterns on each piece.
Phra Kru Pipit Phiphatnokoson, the head monk of Bang Jakreng Subdistrict and abbot of Wat Sattha Tham, revealed that originally, Raman Kalamae was a treat the Mon people stirred together only during Songkran Festival. Seeing the number of successors decline, he established the "Wat Sattha Tham Mon Housewives Group" in 2000, gathering over 100 villagers to preserve the original recipe and develop it as a community income source.
Currently, membership has dwindled to a few because the community rarely stirs Kalamae at home as before due to unsuitable conditions and fewer people skilled in the traditional kiln digging and stirring methods. Thus, the tradition is maintained mainly at the temple, where stirring starts about 10-15 days before Songkran to distribute to devotees during merit-making.
The abbot added that although the tradition of stirring Kalamae once halted due to lack of participants, as more devotees visited the temple, the tradition was revived. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, while event formats changed, Kalamae stirring continued as scheduled to preserve the original wisdom.
Today, Raman Kalamae is very popular, with orders from many provinces and abroad, requiring the temple to stir Kalamae almost daily, sometimes two batches a day. One batch uses over 60 kilograms of ingredients but yields only 27-30 kilograms of product after stirring continuously for 7-8 hours. It requires 5-6 strong workers taking turns stirring nonstop, since any pause risks burning and ruining the entire batch.
All income from Kalamae sales goes to temple maintenance and community tradition preservation. Wat Sattha Tham produces Raman Kalamae year-round and serves as a learning site where youth, students, and tourists can experience traditional Kalamae stirring themselves.
Raman Kalamae of Wat Sattha Tham has been selected as a 5-star OTOP product of Samut Songkhram province. It represents Mon cultural wisdom passed down through generations and brings fame to Samut Songkhram as a unique souvenir rich with story and character.