2017
“From Palace Kitchens to Today’s Eateries”
Held between 19 July – 30 November 2017
At the Temporary exhibition room on first floor, the heritage building, King Prajadhipok Museum.
In addition to being one of the bare necessities, food is heavily associated with aesthetics and culture. Once viewed as extravagant dishes reserved for the Royals, the palace dishes are ordinary dishes prepared meticulously to please both the eyes and tongue. In addition, Palace dishes are not exclusively Thai but come in varieties with some Western and Chinese dishes. Throughout the life of H.M. King Prajadhipok (1893-1941), Royal dishes had been influenced by Western and Eastern food. The dishes served during banquets were often western dishes for special occasions, while his favourite menus were simple Thai dishes prepared with extra care. Furthermore, the table set up and manner within the palace signified civilized tradition similar to other countries.
The palace of H.R.H Princess Saisawali Bhiromya, Krom Phra Sudhasininart, a consort of H.M. King Chulalongkorn was famed for its kitchen. Both royals and nobles frequently brought their children to be trained in culinary skills there. It was not until the reign of King Prajadhipok that a lot of female royals moved to live outside the Grand Palace and brought to their new places and homes their personal recipe. Thus, over time, Palace food became available outside the palace.
The exhibition told a story and displayed unique objects such as the menus, the silverware, dishes, and glasses, and the draft of a funeral wreath for H.R.H Princess Saisawali Bhiromya, Krom Phra Sudhasininart.
The exhibition is available to view online can be viewed at https://www.kpi-vmuseum.com/vm/rotate/y_24_1_2561/