Phetchaburi food in literary journey

Last updated: 31 Aug 2021  |  5555 Views  | 

Phetchaburi food in literary journey

Phetchaburi food in literary journey

It was asked by Folk, Paphangkorn Janyong, and Noi from an old town local community by Krachang canal for possible ancient literatures involved with Phetchaburi’s food. The writer firstly thinks of a kind of literature called “Literary Journey”, it is similar to a journey’s diary that an author tries to save all memories from the journey in written form. So, nice food of Phetchaburi may be mentioned in some literary journey to Phetchaburi province.

Although food is the important factor for human, recipe books are rarely found in the ancient Thai society, it may be considered as simple things, so it could be overlooked by the people. History of food and recipe are one of the rare items. Study of ancient food must be involved with ancient literature, but it’s not very interesting in general.

After searching from many literary journeys concerning with Phetchaburi, some authors had been living in Phetchaburi and trying to narrate some fine dishes of this province in their works as follows;

  1. The Journey to Petchburi by Sunthorn Phu in 1834
  2. The Journey to Koh Jan by Phaya Maha Am-mat Thaya Thipbhodi (Rhun Sripen) in 1868 
  3. The Journey to Khao Luk Chang by Tuan in 1886
  4. The Journey to Khao Luang by Khun Worakarn in 1904
  5. The Journey to Laem Nai Pin,  since before 1918
  6. The Journey to Haad Chao Samran by Feng Chawali in 1921

There are stories of food found during each journey in those above six literatures which can be classified as these;

1. Ingredients: meats or vegetables that will be cooked are pork knuckle, butterfish fillets, mackerels, pork, shells, crabs, fishes, ducks, chickens, eggs, coconuts, beans, vegetables, gourds, cucurbits, pumpkins, palm sugar, white agasta flowers, cucumbers, kaffir limes, limes.

2. Dishes such as pock knuckle soup with chili paste and vinegar with Thai parsley, grilled fish (Grilled fish with vegetable), grilled turtle (A kind of grilled fish, but no clear recipe), eggplants (Grilled or boiled eggplants, no clear information), cooked pork (Sweet & sour cooked pork), fried noodles, red curry with periwinkle.

3. Breaks such as rice in ice water

4. Snacks such as sweet crispy rice, sweet pounded unripe rice, sweet fermented rice, food wrapped in leaves, round and flat sweetmeat, deep-fried sliced banana, sweetmeat

5.Fruits such as oranges, bananas, sugar cranes, wild mangosteens, musk melons, watermelons, pineapples, longans, rambai fruits, mangoes, sapodillas, jack fruits

6. Food in ceremonies such as wines, pork, duck, chicken, Chinese sweetmeat, pomegranate, longan (Offerings for the city- god). By focusing the scope of food’s study, there may be many kinds of food in the literary journeys such as food in the literatures concerning with spirits ceremonies, and food in the national literature of Thai religious verse

 
Examples of Phetchaburi food in the literary journey

The Journey to Petchaburi Sunthorn Phu, 1834

“แล้ววันทาลาเลียบลงเหลี่ยมเขา      พอบังเงาแดดร่มทั้งลมตก”
After saying “Good bye” in the evening



“ออกนาวามาทางบ้านบางครก     มะพร้าวดกดูสล้างสองข้างคลอง”
 Sailing towards Baan Bang Krok, surrounded by coconut trees along the canal

 
 “มีส้มสูกลูกไม้เหมือนในสวน   ตลอดล้วนเรียงรายเรียกขายของ”
Plenty of fruits along the way

 “เขาเลียนล้อต่อถามตามทำนอง   ไม่ยิ้มย่องนิดหน่อยอร่อยใจ”
Hearing people’s talking & selling things

“จนเรือออกนอกชวากปากบางครก    ต้องเลี้ยววกไปตามลำแม่น้ำไหล”
Leaving from the Bang Krok village & going along the river
                          
“เป็นถิ่นฐานบ้านนาป่ารำไร      เขาทำไร่ถั่วผักปลูกฟักแฟง”
Seeing another villages, woods, rice fields and gourds and cucurbits plantations

 “แต่ฟักทองร้องเรียกว่าน้ำเต้า    ฟักเขียวเล่าเรียกว่าขี้พร้าแถลง”
Pumpkins and green gourds plantations

The author mentioned about many kinds of fruits and vegetables that were seen during sailing along the Phetchaburi river.

“โอ้คิดถึงพึ่งบุญท่านขุนแพ่ง    ไปหน้าแล้งรับแขกแรกวสันต์”
Missing Khun Paeng when meeting him in the last spring

“ตำข้าวเม่าเคล้าน้ำตาลทั้งหวานมัน    ไปด้วยกันคั้นขยำน้ำกะทิ”
Sweet & tasty pounded unripe rice was prepared together with coconut milk

The author recalled the Thai sweet offered by his friend

  “ทั่วประเทศเขตแคว้นแดนพริบพรี    เหมือนจะชี้ไปไม่พ้นแต่ต้นตาล”
There are plenty of sugar palm trees in the entire land                              

“ที่พวกทำน้ำโตนดประโยชน์ทรัพย์     มีดสำหรับเหน็บข้างอย่างทหาร”
Palm sugar made by local villagers with their knife like soldiers.

The author narrated how to make palm sugar by the Phetchaburi villagers.

 “พี่ยืนยลบนบ้านสถานถิ่น      ชำเลดินบ้านนี้ดีหนักหนา”
I was standing in the house looking into the rich land


 “บริบูรณ์พูลเกิดหอยปูปลา    จีนไทยพากันมาอยู่ดูสบาย”
Plenty of food for Chinese and Thai living

 “นิยมหยาบบาปกรรมจำใจสู้    เลี้ยงล้วนหมูเป็ดไก่เอาไข่ขาย”
 Fishing and cultivating pig, duck and chicken’s eggs for selling

 “ชนิดเราเนาไม่ได้ไม่สบาย      ถึงไร้ร้ายทรัพย์สินไม่ยินดี”
  They live easy life without money issues.

The author described the sea villagers’ life; fishery and farming for shells, crabs, fishes, pigs, chickens and ducks.                                          

“ฉันยกหัตถ์วันทาพระนาโถ      จากศาลาท่าโพหาช้าไม่”
Pressing the hands together at the chest before leaving Tha Pho pier

 “ถึงตะพานข้ามกะแสแลวิไล    แม้นจะไปวัดไม้รวกสะดวกดาย”
Reaching the bridge over the river to go to Wat Mai Ruak easily

 “มีเรือนร้านบ้านเจ๊กขายเล็กน้อย    ทั้งกล้วยอ้อยของหวานตั้งร้านขาย”
Seeing many local houses and fruits shops such as bananas, sugar cranes and sweets 

The author described the fruits that he saw along the way such bananas and sugar cranes

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