DIY Carving Fruits

There is a lot of speculation to when and where fruit carving originated but the first widely accounted appearance was at the Loi Krathong Festival ("Floating Lantern Festival") in the Kingdom of Thailand 700 years ago. This traditional festival is during the full moon in December to thank the soul of water by floating small decorated rafts with lanterns down the river. In 1364 Lady Nang Noppamart carved a flower and a bird from a vegetable to decorate her raft and her unique art was noticed by King Phra Ruang.

The King was so impressed by the grace and beauty of what she created that he declared every woman should learn this new art, called Kae Sa Luk. These fruit and vegetable carvings were the standard of royalty food presentation for centuries until the Thailand revolution of 1932 when appreciation and enthusiasm for this food art was at it's lowest. In order to save this tradition, children were taught to carve fruits and vegetables starting from the age of 11 in Thailand schools.

Kae Sa Luk is still alive and thriving today as well as many new variations of this ancient art form which is now appreciated and practiced all around the world. Traditional Thai carvings are usually elaborate watermelon centerpieces that incorporate delicate flowers with animal shapes or people but the term fruit and vegetable carving has expanded to describe everything from basic plate garnishes and simple fruit bowls to edible arrangements and complex multi-piece show platters. Although almost any fruit can be used, watermelon remains one of the most popular fruits to use for beginners as well as in traditional Thai carvings for a couple reasons.

First, they are one of the largest fruits and give you a lot of area to work with. Second, they have three distinct colors (the red, pink or yellow of the meat, the white of the rind and the green of the skin) giving you more options in your design. One of the reasons beginners use watermelons often is because they are large enough to serve as a fruit bowl if hollowed out which makes a simple and functional fruit carving. Also, during the peak season watermelons can be very affordable and easily available in most regions of the world.