It is believed that fruit & vegetable carving originated in Sukothai in Thailand roughly seven hundred years ago, although some might people question this fact & believe that it initially began at about the time of the Tang Dynasty in The far east.

The Thai Art of Fruit and Vegetable Carving is a valuable historical past of Thailand & one of its oldest art forms. Originating around 14th century when a young Thai woman decorated the floating lamp for the Regal Celebration which is celebrated during the night of the full moon. This young woman carved vegetables and fruit in a number of bouquets which were used to beautify the floating lamp, making it look like a large water lily flower. Once the King Phra Ruang noticed what the lady had created, he treasured this fresh innovation & decreed that it would be an art heritage of Thailand and should be taught and practiced to all ladies. This information has been passed on through generations only in person & to family members, particularly in the Royal Palace.

From the simple origins in the local street markets in the East where street artists would create ornamental garnishes upon request to being displayed & flaunted in modern restaurants, resorts, wedding receptions, cruise ships along with extravagant surroundings, the skill of fruit & vegetable carving is becoming more and more popular in the western world with learners undertaking instruction to master the special & skilled techniques to produce stunning beautiful displays all produced from vegetables and fruit.

Water melons are one of the most well-known fruits which are used to produce some of the wonderful exhibits you see in Asian restaurants & hotels due to the versatility of the fruit. It's not only an easy task to carve, it is also incredibly attractive once the external skin is removed. Smaller fruit can also be used in many of these fruit & vegetable exhibits. Strawberries, carrots, beetroot, cucumber, potatoes and taro are carved in to flowers and leaves.

Special fruit carving knives are often used by the fruit carver. Most of these specialized tools are designed in such away to be able to give the artist full range of movement for creating the complicated flower petals and leaves. The knives are often quite small with the blade curved in shape and with a small solid wood handle. Standard cooking kitchen knives can also be used however people often find them to be quite awkward to handle.

Flowers are not the only objects carved in to the fruits and vegetables. Other designs such as animals, buildings, people as well as landscapes can also be carved from the fruit and vegetables. The only limit is the artists own imagination.

Fruit and vegetable carving can be a very gratifying and relaxing experience. Being able to produce something so wonderful from something so everyday is a great accomplishment. Once you have perfected basic fundamentals you are able to pretty much let your imagination run wild!