The Wisdom Inheritance of Thai Dessert Making (Thong Yod, Foi Thong and Med Kanoon) to Develop into a Housewife Business of Banjeen Community, Wat Yom Sub-District, Bang Ban District, Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the way of life in traditional Thai dessert making which has been inherited to Banjeen housewife community from the past to the present and 2) to study the methods and process of making traditional Thai desserts (Thong Yod, Foi Thong and Med Kanoon) of Banjeen housewife community. The key informant group comprised 10 local savants, a group of housewives with profound knowledge of making Thai desserts (Thong Yod, Foi Thong and Med Kanoon) in the area of Banjeen community, Moo 1, Wat Yom sub-district, Bang Ban district, Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya province. This research was conducted under the qualitative research method, applying interviews as research instrument.

The results revealed that (1) the way of life in traditional Thai dessert making, which has been inherited to Banjeen housewife community from the past to the present, has been passed down from generation to generation for over 80 years, with Mrs. Luen Kraitham as the original, handed down to Miss. Yue Kawmanee, Miss. Bang Khaomanee, Mrs. Sali Supinsri, and then to the present generation respectively. The transfer of knowledge includes raw material selection, processing and traditional production process, combined with methods of applying new production process, but still maintain the same quality and taste as those in ancient times. (2) The techniques used in production process have made the flavor of all the three desserts delicately sweet, preventing non-sticky syrup from turning into flakes. (3) Traditional Thai desserts (Thong Yod, Foi Thong and Med Kanoon) without the stench of duck eggs are considered a qualitative indicator of productivity that helps increase the product value. In addition, the outcomes, as well as the quantitative indicator, are the knowledge and wisdom of making the three Thai desserts (Thong Yod, Foi Thong and Med Kanoon) that could be not only brought to create a career for people in the village but also developed into a business of the community.