ML Darunee Chakraphan
Ministry of Culture, Thailand
Bunchai Tongjroenbourgarm
Ministry of Culture, Thailand
Thai cuisine is one of the most important parts of Thai culture as it represents the Thai way of life, especially the royal court cuisine which originated in the Grand Palace, the centre of all arts. Royal court cuisine reflects the loyalty of those who have created food for the monarch who is most revered.
In the reign of King Rama II, who is regarded as the great artist king of the Rattanakosin Period, the significance of fruit and vegetable carving is evident in his poetry Kap He Chom Khrueng Khau Wan or Praise on Food and Desserts. Fruit and vegetable carving and making desserts are compulsory skills for the court ladies and are highly admired in Thai food culture.
(Presented in the 2012 Asian Food Heritage Forum: Harmonizing Culture , Technology and Industry, 20-21 August 2012, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Chinese Dietary Culture Institute, Zhejiang Gongshang University, and Ministry of Culture, Thailand)