Thai fruit carving art Kae Sa Luk

If you ever eat in a somewhat better Thai restaurant, you are probably familiar with it. The served dishes smell good and also look beautiful. On the edge of your plate are small figures cut from carrot, watermelon, cucumber or another fruit or vegetable. The Thai art of making a boat out of a melon, a bird out of a pumpkin or a flower out of a carrot is called Kae Sa Luk.

S

This art form is now practiced in many countries, but in Thailand it has existed for many hundreds of years. There are stories that the art has come over from Japan or China, but in Thailand it is believed that it originated in the 14th century at the court of the kingdom of Sukhothai. It has since remained popular in subsequent kingdoms and Thailand and Kae Sa Luk masterpieces are still offered in temples or used as decorations at weddings.

History

It is interesting to go back in history to know how Kae Sa Luk would have originated in ancient Siam. There are also several stories about this, but I will stick to the story about the lady-in-waiting Nang Nophamas, who is said to have started fruit carving, but is also associated with the origin of the Loy Krathong Festival.

Nang Nophamas was a lady-in-waiting at the court of Sukhothai in the 13/14^de century under King Rama Khamhaeng. During a boat trip, the young lady-in-waiting made an artful lantern by cutting banana leaves in the shape of a lotus flower and fitting them with sacrificial sticks and a candle. In the evening under a full moon, the work of art was launched.

Loy Krathong

The king was very pleasantly surprised and took the lady-in-waiting to be his wife. He also stated that the day of the full moon in the 12^de lunar month was to become a Buddhist holiday. According to our time reckoning, that day is in November and this explains the origin of the Loy Krahtong festival.

Royal art

The art was initially practiced exclusively at court, with the royal meals being embellished by fruit and vegetables, which, after being worked with sharp knives, were supposed to represent an animal, flower or other object. The art of Kae Sa Luk has been passed down and developed from generation to generation. Slowly but surely, Kae Sa Luk masterpieces were also used in temples and meals on special occasions.

Hobby

Today, Kae Sa Luk is mainly practiced as a hobby. It is certainly not an easy activity, because the practitioner must not only have good tools, but also a lot of patience, concentration, good eyes, flexible hands and a little imagination.

On the Internet you will find numerous websites with text and explanations, sometimes via videos, on this subject and there are even books for sale for those who practice this hobby. It is also possible to take courses in Thailand, both for the beginner and for the more advanced Kae Sa Luk artist.

Finally

For this story I have used, among other things, an extensive article by Wilfried Stevens. He goes into detail about the origins of Kae Sa Luk and also tells a lot about the necessary tools.