ข้าว : ปฐมบทของชีวิตไทย = Rice : The Staple of Thai Society

7/30/2019 : = Rice : The Staple of Thai Society

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Rice paddies in Mae Hong Son.

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,

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Rice from the paddies

in the central region.


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,

, ,

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Rice grains.


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Oryza (Cultivated rice) (Wild rice) (Japonica) (Indica) (Javadica) (O.graberrima)

..

..

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Ready-to-cook rice.


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: Cooked rice.

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. - . . - .

(Japo (Indica)

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() -

, ,

Hvorslev , ,

,

, , ,

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,

,

Plowing the rice paddies

in Suphan Buri.

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....

..

...

...

.. ..(.. )

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A small yoke.

This yoke is made from a piece of

rod about a foot long and as thick

as a wrist. At each end is a stopper.

It is attached to the short wooden

whippletree with a piece of rope.

A piece of leather trace ties its

middle part with the plow handle.

It is called small yoke after this

size, which is smaller than

a normal yoke made from an

arm-size wooden piece of more

two meters long. It is also used

to control t he cattle pulling a cart

or a plow.

This tool called khom

is made from a piece of

bamboo bended to fit

the buffalos neck.

The bending process starts

when it is still young, and

then left to grow to maturity.

The upturned ends are for

the rope attached to the

cart, or the pulling robe

attached to the plow.

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-

A two-oxen plow

from the central region.

..

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Khup toi is a tool

for field grading.

The khup can be made

with pointed pieces of woodsticking into the main grinder

to help with movement

on the rough surface of

the plowed fields or mud.

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.. .

, .

x


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Krad - a tool consisting o

a row of teeth set in a head

attached to a long shaft,

an implement used to brea

clods of soil.

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40

Khanam a temporary shelter

in the paddy


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()

A spirit house in the field, u

built as a shelter for the fie

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/

A woven bamboo basket

called chonglong to remove

water from a shallow water well.It is fastened to a bamboo

tripod so that it stays clear

above the water at a

convenient height.

To operate it, the farmer lifts

the long handle allowing

the basket to dip into the water

and removing the water

when it is lifted.

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A traditional charm called

chalew usually made from

woven bamboo strips in the

pattern of a five-or six-point star.

In the old days, it was often placed

on a medicine pot, in

order to ward off evil spirits,

which might come to discredit the

medicinal power. It is sometimes

placed on an offering for wandering

spirits by the road junction.In the rice paddies when the rice

is p regnant, or during the ritual

before rice beating on the rice

lawn, it is placed at the four

corners to curb evil spirits from

damaging the rice.

Rahad

a traditional wooden water

comes in different sizes.

In the rail are a furrow and

wooden cogs serving as w

to drive water along the fur

This tool is normally used

where the water level of th

two areas is not too differe

The end of the mill will be

placed into the high water

whereas the upper end wil

toward the dryer area wher

want water to go to.

When the water is pulled

along the furrow, it goes al

a discharge flume into the

In the old days, the mill wapowered by people or a

windmill. Now it is motoriz

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()

Offering voluntary hands

for rice planting is a traditionin Thai society.

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.....

...

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A crescent harvest knife

called khiao made from

a sharp piece of metal.


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,

.

.

.

A southern harvest tool ca

krae which used to

cut rice stalks individually.


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An unusual harvest knife called

khiao kho with a two-sided

wooden handle, one side of

which is more rounded and

bigger than the other.


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A harvest tool from the So

called krud with a woode

handle and a flat and big u

piece where the slight cres

blade is embedded.

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. ( ). . . . . . . .

. ( ). . . (). . . .

( ). . (). . . ( ). (

). (

). .

A cart from Suphan Buri.

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.. ..

Khanlao-a two-pointed pole

to t ransport rice bunches,

is normally made from a piece

of bamboo about two meters

long with a node about a foot

from each pointed end.

The farmer sticks either end

into a rice bunch and lifts it.

The node serves as a stopper

to secure the bunches

to the pole.

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- -

...( -) ( -) (

( ( -)

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Northern farmers are beating

rice stalks to separate

rice grains from the chaff.

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55

() ( )


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Khochai-

a long-handled hook to pull

the rice stalks during the

kneading session. It is made

from a bamboo rod almost two

meters long, slightly bended in

the middle, and fitted with asmall crescent hook at one end.

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Kradan Chak- a sweepin

board to pull rice grains int

a pile before being fed into

mill is made from a piece o

about 10-12 by 40-50 inch

and an inch thick. The inne

is slightly thinned and slop

a better sweep. A long hanis fitted at the middle of t h

A piece of cord it fastened

end of the board for pulling

It needs three people to

operate: one to pull the ha

the other two pull the boar

by the end cord.

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Sifad-

a traditional rice mill separates

the grains from the chaff.

It blows away the dirt,

straw pieces, and grass.

The weighty rice grains will

fall to the front of the mill,

ready to be sacked or stored.

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. () ()

Parts of traditional rice mil

59

hand lever

tray for rice grains


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A fan made from woven

bamboo strips is used to blow

away dirt or unwanted pieces

from the rice grains.

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.

.

,

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A huge woven circular bas

called khru used for rice

stalks beating.


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( )

A wooden rice hoe is for

throwing the rice grains into

the air so that the wind blows

away the unwanted pieces.

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A pair of thrasher.This tool is made from a pa

of wooden rods of more th

one foot long.

It is used to catch a batch

rice stalks, to be thrashed

grain container.


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A traditional rice silo in

the northeast.

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A traditional rice silo in the


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A traditional rice silo

in the central.

A traditional rice silo

in the south.

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A woven bamboo basket w

a wide opening called pom

to store rice grains. A big omeasures about one or one

a half meters at the openin

and almost two meters tall

slightly rounded in the mid

and tapers to the square b

It is normally smeared with

animal dung to curb moistu

and to stop grains from dr

through the holes. It is usu

placed on a bamboo benc

shelf under the house, cov

with a flat circular basket.

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A cylindrical vessel with open

ends called talom khao is

normally made from bamboo

strips to store rice grains and

seeds. The strip on one end iskept protruding for about

six inches in order that the

basket can be stuck to the

ground.

Bung khao chuea-

an ordinary basket made

from woven bamboo strips

used for transporting or storing

grains and seeds. The outer

side is often smeared with

animal dung.

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( )

(FolkArchitecture) (IndigenousArchitecture)

()

( ) ()

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. . . , , .

..

()

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A mortar for crushing or grinding

can be made of wood, stone,

terra cotta, or metal. The sizeand shape vary. The smallest

for making a chili dip, about

15-30 cm in diameter, is called

khrok kabuea The big mortar,

called khrok som mue is usually

made of wood, measuring about

50-60 cm in diameter. It has a

hole in the middle for rice

grinding with a 150-cm-long

hardwood pestle, which is often

slightly tapered in the middle

for a better grip.


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...

....

A flat basket for rice blowin

called kradong is made o

woven bamboo strips, meaabout 80 cm in diameter.

In the picture is a special k

of this type of basket calle

kradong lai kho. Its shap

circular with a pointed side

resembles a pipal leaf and

it is woven with a special

fishbone design.


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()

..

Khrok kradueang is an

ancient folk tool to crush rice

grains which the Thai people

might have invented hundreds

of years ago.

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A rice mill is a machine to s

rice grains from the chaff, i

of crushing it in a rice mort

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...

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( )


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Krachang- a bamboo basket

for keeping shrimp and fish.

Khong- a fish basket

for keeping fish.

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Sai dak kung- a small bamboo

basket woven shrimp trap in

cylindrical shape with narrow

neck.


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...

A terra cotta stove made in

shape of a human hip calle

tao choeng kran

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...

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Left

A kitchen is normally separ

from the sleeping quarters

It is often a smaller space f

with narrow pieces of timb

or bamboo rods allowing th

to have holes or slits for w

drainage and ventilation.

The wall is made from roug

woven bamboo rods for

ventilation. The gable is als

open to allow cooking smo

to easily emit from the kitc


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A rice container calledkong khao is widely used

in the north and the northeast.

It is made of double-layers of

woven bamboo strips in different

shapes and sizes according

to local preference.

Its lid helps keep the rice warm

for a long time. A rope attached

around it is for carrying

or hanging.

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Kraba is a kind of coverefor keeping rice and other

It prevents dirt, flies, or ani

from getting to the food. It

sometimes used to serve t

meal in.

Kraboam- a tray used in

the northeast for kneadingthe cooked sticky rice befo

keeping it in the rice contai

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(.. )

A pedestal tray for serving

food called tok, widely used

in the north, is normally made

of polished wood. It often comes

in three sizes. The biggest,

about 25-55 inches in diameter,

is used in the court or in the

northern royal household.

The mid-size, about 17-24 inches

in diameter, is usually used for

serving food to high-ranking

monks, in wealthy households,

or in big family. The small

size used in a small family isabout 10-15 inches in diameter.

()

Bencharong (five-colored) pottery

of the Ayutthaya and

Rattanakosin Period.

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( (ston (celadon)

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Sangkhalok or Sangalok

is a kind of ceramics made

Sukhothai Period. The clay

patterned into various hou

items then fired until it was

strong as stoneware. It cou

be glazed. The unglazed st

techniques was usually us

big objects such as water j

pots, lamps, or decorative

pieces. They were often in

gray or dark brown colors.

The glazed items were ofte

celadon green and other d

shades of green, or in othe

such as black, brown, gray

off-white.

A northeastern woven con

a meal called pha khao,

made from rattan or bamb


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Chapter One

Rice: The Staple ofThai Society

Thai Wisdom: Thai Ways of Life

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85 Rice: The Staple of Thai Society

Rice (GRAMINEAE) has long been the

staple diet of the Siamese. The long-grain

rice grown in Thailand is a tropical plant with

long stalks and soft hay. In the Chiang Saen

and Lanna Empires, around the 10th-17th

centuries CE, the Siamese grew both long

and short grain glutinous rice more than the

ordinary rice. During the Sukhothai Period

(circa 1238-1438 CE), short-grain glutinous

rice was more commonly grown than the

long-grain and the ordinary rice.

The trend continued in the Ayutthaya Period

(1350-1767 CE). Cultivation of long-grain

ordinary rice, however, increased during

the late Ayutthaya Period, and the trend

has continued until now.

Long-grain ordinary rice (Oryza sativa L.,)

is usually consumed in the Central Plains,

the South, and the Lower Northeast. Glutinous

rice is locally called sticky rice because, once

cooked, it tends to stick together better. It is

the staple diet of the northern and upper

northeastern people. It is widely used in many

kinds of traditional desserts as well.

Rice stalks from the paddy

fields in Suphan Buri Province,in the Central Region.


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Rice Planting ToolsThe first tool for rice planting could be

a pointed stick made from a bamboo rod,

to poke holes in the ground for grains.

Once it had rainwater or moisture from

dews, the grains would grow into rice stalks.

Humans later developed sowing as

another planting method. A plow was invented

to upturn the soil, the grains were sowed,

and the soil was once again plowed to cover

the grains. This method was more rapid than

the primitive planting style and the yield was

also better although it still depended on

weather conditions.

Lately, another rice planting method hasbeen developed from the simple sowing

method. Rice paddies are leveled, compacted,

and partitioned into smaller plots with raised

earth dunes around them, equipped with a

simple mechanism to trap or release the water.

Irrigation system, highly developed equipment,

and chemical fertilizers have been introduced

to allow for off-season planting.

The most important tool for rice planting

has always been the plow. Generally, there atwo kinds: a single-shaft and a double-shaft

plows. The double-shaft plows are stronger

and generally used in hard clay fields where

plowing is harder to do. Though a simple too

a plow needs to be carefully designed and

made for the most efficiency.

While waiting for the rain to come before

plowing began, farmers need to prepare rice

saplings to be planted in the paddies.

The sapling plots are usually nearer to the w

The basket of seed grains is soaked in wate

to get rid of the unhealthy seeds. Then the

seed grains are put into another basket linedwith dry hay or grass. They are regularly

watered until they sprout into seedlings.

The seedlings will be sowed in the pre-plowe

sapling plots. Farmers have to wait until the

saplings are more than a foot tall before they

are ready to be re-planted.

Harvesting the saplings has always been

considered womens task. The saplings will

Rice planting

in the North.

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uprooted, and the earth by the root slightly

shaken off in water. The saplings must be evenout by the root ends, before being fastened into

bunches. The leaves will be cut short to allow

them to re-grow. The saplings are then carried

to the paddies.

Once the rain comes, the plowing process

begins with the first plowing to upturn the earth,

in order to allow dry grass to die out. Then the

farmer needs to plow the field once again to

prune it. Both plowings are done after the rain

has softened the ground. After that, the farmer

must use a harrow to rake off the weeds and to

level the plowed field.

Sapling planting begins at the first plotbecause the grains from this plot will be kept for

the rice blessing ceremony and for reproduction

in the next planting season. To plant the

saplings in the paddy fields, the farmer

holds 6-7 of them in one hand while the thumb

of the other hand pokes into the muddy field

to make holes for the saplings. Farmers usually

plant in rows until they have covered the whole

area. They often take turns to help each other

in planting all the fields. This collaboration,locally called long-khaek in Thai, makes

the planting fast and more efficient.

This collaborative strategy of shared labor

is often used in other activities as well.

If the weather co-operates, the rice

fields will be lushly green in no time.

Around the tenth month on the lunar

calendar (September), the rice stalks will

be pregnant. The farmers need to tend to

their usual enemies such as field mice,

crabs, tortoises, and insects. Before the

invention of chemical pesticides, some

farmers resorted to supra-natural powers.They performed ceremonial rites, requesting

assistance from the Rice Goddess

(Mae Phosop) and other gods to ward

off the pest.

Plowing the paddy

fields in the CentralRegion.

87 Rice: The Staple of Thai Society


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Rice Harvest

Harvest seasons vary according to the

kind of rice and planting technique used,

approximately between the end of the twe

month (November) and the beginning of th

first month of the following year (Decemb

Initially, farmers must have used a sharp

cutting tool, called "krae" still in use in the

southern region, made from a stone disc, a

piece of bone, or a sharpened shell. They ho

rice stalk in one hand, the tool in the other, acut it one by one. Though a slow process, th

harvest is usually thorough, and nothing is

wasted. No rice stalks will be left in the fields

The rice stalks will be bunched and brought

the kneading lawn.

The single-stalk cutter was later develop

into a longer crescent knife called " khiao." It

can cut a bunch of stalks at a time, and thus

makes rice harvest much faster.

The harvest normally begins early in the

morning. When the sun gets stronger, the

farmers stop for a rest and for breakfast.

After the noon meal, they can continue untilearly evening. The host farmer usually sees t

the meals for the guest helpers. Rice fields in

the Central Plains are usually very large.

Farmers, therefore, take turns to help each

other at every step of the planting process to

ensure that everything is done in time before

the weather changes.

After the harvest, the rice stalks are brou

to the kneading lawn. In the northern and the

northeastern regions, farmers with no space

for a kneading lawn often knead the rice sta

in the field and transport only the grains to th

storage.

A metal crescent blade witha wooden handle for rice harvest.

A southern harvest tool called

krae which might be used to

cut rice stalks individually.

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Rice KneadingTo separate rice grains from the stalks,

they will be kneaded on a kneading lawn.The lawn, either a communal lawn for the

whole village or a private one, must be

carefully prepared. Farmers usually start

when the earth is still wet after the seasonal

flooding. Cattle are driven to walk repeatedly

in circle, in the designated area until the

ground is evenly flat and leveled. After that,

they repeatedly glaze the lawn surface with

liquefied cattle manure. The dried manure will

eventually pave the law surface, preventing

rice grains to fall into the ground and curbing

sand and soil from mixing with rice grains.

Before taking the rice stalks to the lawn,

farmers usually perform ceremonial rites to invite

Mae Phosop, the Rice Goddess, to accompany

the rice stalks to the lawn, and later from the

lawn to the storage.

Rice stalks will cleverly be stacked up in

pyramid-like piles around the lawn. In case of

rain, only those on the outside will get wet.

Before kneading, a head-high pole will be

planted in the middle of the lawn, topped with

a thorny branch to ward off birds, or a flower

garland for luck. Bunches of stalks will be

alternately placed in the circular lawn. A line of

cattle standing abreast as far as the outer rim of

the lawn is fastened to the pole. The aged oneswill be closer to the pole for their slow stride,

while the younger and stronger ones will be

placed on the outside. The cattle knead the

stalks with their repeated stride. The upper

layers of stalks with no grains left on them will

be taken away little by little until only the grains

are left on the lawn. The rice husks will be

stacked up in pagoda-like piles around the lawn

for later use. The grains will be sifted in order to

get rid of the unwanted dirt.

A haystack in the North.

89 Rice : The Staple of Thai Society

In the northern and the northeastern regions

where farmers knead the rice stalks in the paddy

fields, the methods used may vary. In certain

areas, farmers turn the paddy field into the

kneading lawn with the same method as that

of the Central Plains mentioned above. Then

they beat the rice stalks on to a kneading table,

allowing the grains to fall to the ground. Or,

they can beat them on a bamboo bench with

a mat or a plastic sheet underneath to receive

the grains. With a small amount of rice stalks,

farmers sometimes beat them in a bamboo

bowl-like basket specially made for this

function, which will store the grains before

being sifted.

Unlike their counterparts in the other regions,

farmers in the South do not immediately knead

the rice stalks after the harvest. They pile up all

the stalks in the rice barn in their household.

Once they need rice either for consumption or

for sale, they will knead the required amount of

rice stalks. They place the stalks on the mat or

a piece of animal hide, and trudge on them to

seperate the grains from the stalks.

All the different kneading methods and

tools locally used reflect ancestral wisdom in

materials design and selection. They could

effectively perform the tasks to serve the

farmers purpose before the rude invasion of

machinery to change the traditional way of rice

farming and the farmers life.


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From Grains into Rice

Once farmers had acquired rice grains

they had to get rid of the hard husks befo

the rice was ready to be cooked. Normall

the grains were put in a huge mortar and

crushed with a long and heavy wooden

pestle. They would be crushed again in

a smaller mortar. This task was also

considered part of womens daily duties.

Villagers often prepared enough rice foronly one cooking. Newly crushed rice,

they believed, tasted and smelled better

than pre-crushed rice.

New equipment for rice milling was

developed when demand for rice had increa

The most primitive rice mill functioned in

the similar way as that of a grinding stone.

Overtime, a rice mill powered by steam,

and machines were invented and widely use

in Bangkok and its vicinity, before spreading

to further areas. Thai people no longer had t

crush rice everyday for their daily cooking po

Above

A traditional rice silo in

the North called Long Khao.

Right

A central-style cart

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chopping block, and a sifter made from woven

bamboo strips.

When the cooking was done and the meal

was ready, family members gathered in a circle

around the meal. Different dishes prepared for

that meal were placed in the middle. Containers

used in a household were usually homemade,

or locally produced from neighboring villages.

In the North, to facilitate eating, dishes were

sometimes placed on a circular wooden tray

called tok. In the Northeast, similar objects

used were called pha khao.

While commoners often used simple terra cotta

plates and bowls, nobility or the wealthy could

use more elaborate crockery such as fine china

domestically made called Sangaloke.

In the Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin Periods,

fine crockery made to order from certain

European cities or from China was imported,

such as the five-colored and gilt crockery called

Bencharong, which was widely popular in

A Thai MealRice has long been the staple diet of the

Thai people. Even in one of the Sukhothai

inscriptions, it was recorded that In the

reign of Khun Ram Kamhaeng, fish were

[abundant] in the water and rice in the fields.

This statement is a crucial piece of evidence

to reflect the fertility of the land. Fish were

easy to find in any water bodies. M oreover,

it documented the combination of rice andfish as the Thais staple diet for both were

normally consumed together. Fish, as well as

some other aquatic animals such as crabs,

shellfish, and shrimps, were usually prepared

in many different ways to accompany rice.

Vegetables could always be collected from

the fields or the forest nearby.

For cooking, Thai people initially used

earthen pots. Later, bronze, copper, and

aluminum pots were developed and widely

used. A family usually had at least two pots,

the rice pot for rice cooking, and the curry pot

for anything soupy

Bencharong,

five-colored pottery of

the Rattanakosin Period.

Documents

ข้าว : ปฐมบทของชีวิตไทย = Rice : The Staple of Thai Society