Khun Lek Restaurant north of Chiang Mai city has a new item on the menu: fishtail palm. By ordering fishtail palm in your curry or soup, you’ll be helping Palaung villagers in Chiang Dao to restore a degraded environment. By eating well, you’ll be doing good! See ไทย version here.
The fishtail palm (Caryota mitis; เต่าร้าง) is a native palm of the Thai forest. It is a sign of a healthy forest, preferring moist conditions. It is becoming rare in Thailand due to forest degradation. On the other hand, the fishtail palm is a popular ornamental palm, found in gardens and resorts throughout Thailand and the tropical world.
Farmer Gorn Jing with harvested shoot of fish tail palm in Palaung village, Chiang Dao.
Few people know that the fishtail palm is edible. More than edible, it’s delicious! Known as tao rang or kheuang in Thai, the inner shoot can be eaten like heart of palm (yord ma phrao). Mountain people in Thailand have long valued the fishtail palm. Because it can be eaten raw and is a source of carbohydrate energy, it is a good plant to find if you’re lost in the forest and hungry. The fishtail palm is a bunching palm, so eating one shoot does not kill the plant. Instead, removing one shoot will cause more shoots to grow. It is a very sustainable crop. In fact, because its seeds are eaten and dispersed by birds, the fishtail palm can even plant itself!
The fishtail palm served in Khun Lek’s delicious recipes is not harvested from forests. It is grown by villagers in Chiang Dao in organic “food forests.” The farmers of Pang Daeng village are working hard to restore a degraded environment by planting native forest species that can be eaten or used in other ways, turning deforested hills into green oases.
By ordering a dish made with fishtail palm, you are helping the villagers to make a living in a way that heals the earth. So thank you!
For more information, call Natthawadi at 081-885-4427, or visit these websites:
www.fairearthfarm.com
www.uhdp.org
