Nobody can completely pinpoint when Fruit and Vegetable Carving began, but one of the most popular stories has Kae Sa Lak starting about 700 years ago in Sukothai (the capital of the Tai People). Sukothai was the capital of this area between 1240 and 1350 and hosted the Loi Kratong, which is one of the major festivals. The Loi Krathong Festival takes place on the full moon evening in November. Whe
n the full moon happens the Thai people send their Krathongs (floating lamp or raft) floating down a river, canal, pond, or lake. This is believed to have originated from an ancient practice to pay respect to the spirits of the water. A woman by the name of Nang Noppamart was one of the King’s servants and wanted to make her Kratong more beautiful so that she could please her King. She decided to take a flower and use it as a carving pattern. She also carved a bird and set it with the head pointing towards the flower. This was the first evidence of Fruit and Vegetable Carving. King Phra Ruang was so impressed with how beautiful and graceful the carving was that he wanted every woman to learn the new culinary art form of Fruit and Vegetable Carving. Water melon and other fruits carved in a traditional Thai style
The next documentation of any type of Fruit and Vegetable Carving came in 1808 in poetry written by King Rama II. He loved the culinary art form of Fruit and Vegetable Carving enough that it was his inspiration for the poetry he wrote. This art form was very secretive when it came to those that were experts, and they only shared their carving secrets with their own families. The culinary art form of Fruit and Vegetable Carving died out during the revolution of 1932 in Thailand. However, the revival was started for this wonderful culinary art form and it is now taught in primary schools starting from the age of 11 and all the way through secondary school. Fruit and Vegetable Carving has become very popular across the globe, and is featured in fine restaurants, hotels, weddings, country clubs, catering halls, exhibitions, at special events, and cruise ships all around the world. You can now even take classes to learn the culinary art of Fruit and Vegetables Carving yourself. At the University of Cebu main campus (College of Hotel and Restaurant Management) we offer the best training available anywhere taught by Gold Medal Regional Champion Gerbe Canacao and his talented team.
