Rachadaporn Benchawattananon
Biology Program, Loei Rajabhat University
Suwaree Sripoon
Social Science Program, Loei Rajabhat University
Herbal soup Larm is a local specialty that has been made by villagers along the border of Thailand and Lao PDR for many years. Larm is a method of cooking by roasting food contained in a bamboo trunk. This study was undertaken at Ban Tadeemee, Chaingkan district, Loei province, Thailand. The objectives were 1) to identify local food wisdom for a healthy life 2) to analyze its usefulness and 3) to conserve local food wisdom sustainability. The methodology was an in-depth interview of local herbal scholars through presentation and demonstration of cooking herbal soup Larm. Collected data of these herbal soup ingredients was analyzed to obtain their usefulness.
The results of the research proved that herbal soup Larm is a very nutritious local food in balancing body systems. The usefulness of herbal soup Larm reveals that its contains more than 10 species of herbs such as Para Cress (Spilanthes acmella murr.), Rattans (Calamus siamensis), Concan (Dracaena angustifolia Roxb.), protein sources such as wild animals or fish, and many kinds of elements (calcium, magnesium, ferrous and phosphorus). The conservation of herbal soup Larm is considered a local value and is practiced through the creation of local curriculum teaching the value of herbal soup Larm to school children, demonstrating of cooking Herbal Soup Larm during festivals, and also the process of raising villager’s awareness is taken into consideration.
(Presented in the International Conference – Thai Food Heritage: Local to Global, 4-6 August 2009, Tawana Bangkok Hotel, Bangkok, organized by The Project of Empowering Network for International Thai Studies (ENITS), Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University with support from the Thailand Research Fund (TRF))