The ‘ROS CHAAD THAI BANANA PARTY: The Complex (But Delicious) Story of Bananas’ event has concluded. It was organized by ‘Ros Chaad Thai,’ a digital knowledge repository on Thai food and food culture under the Chef Cares Foundation, founded by Marisa Chiawvanont. Its goal is to preserve Thai food knowledge and culture for education and future development. The Bangkok Kunsthalle art space in the Hua Lamphong district was transformed into a place for learning, tasting, shopping, and discovering the deeper charm of ‘bananas’ from a fresh and profound perspective.
“The Banana Party was held to present the genetic diversity of Thai ingredients, which reflects the rich diversity of Thailand’s culinary heritage. This presentation aligns with Ros Chaad Thai’s vision to be a digital knowledge hub for food, wisdom, and Thailand’s abundant crops. Through this event, we aimed to showcase bananas, a plant close to Thai people, in depth to spark interest in looking more deeply at Thai ingredients,” said Marisa Chiawvanont, Chairperson and Founder of the Chef Cares Foundation and initiator of the Ros Chaad Thai project.
The event’s atmosphere was lively, filled with plant lovers, banana enthusiasts, and families gathering to enjoy booths exhibiting local and rare banana varieties such as Nam Wa Dam, Sao Kratup Hor, Nom Sao, Hin, Theppanom, Khanoon, Nak, Burma Prison Break, and Ngachang (plantain). Many might think plantains are found only in Africa, but they are also native to Thailand. The event also featured sales of banana shoots, savory and sweet dishes, and special drinks crafted from various forms of banana.
At the Banana Party, ‘Saraa Ros’ podcast by Ros Chaad Thai was launched with a live recording titled ‘The Complex Story of Bananas.’ Associate Professor Dr. Sasiwimon Saengphon and Sombat Suknan, a collector of rare banana varieties and owner of ‘Sombat’s Banana Kingdom,’ discussed banana diversity, reflecting Thailand’s richness and connecting to the traditional cultural use of bananas intertwined with Thai life for a long time—from food and sweets to crafts, ceremonies, and beliefs.
The discussion introduced bananas as pioneer plants crucial to ecosystems, being among the first to grow in restored forests. They help retain water, provide shade, enable forest expansion, and serve as an important food source for wildlife.
Additionally, banana stems store water and help retain soil moisture, acting as a natural firebreak. Conserving bananas is therefore like caring for both ecosystems and forests simultaneously. Regarding propagation, the bananas we eat today are seedless and rely on human assistance to propagate by separating shoots, producing genetically identical offspring with little chance of mutation. In contrast, wild bananas with seeds reproduce by seed, resulting in much higher genetic diversity.
Speakers emphasized key practices to prevent banana plants from declining or dying, such as avoiding continuous replanting in the same spot. After 2 to 3 years, soil nutrients deplete, so growers must rest the soil, clear it, and relocate planting areas to ensure bananas grow optimally.
Furthermore, understanding bananas ties into food security in developing countries worldwide. Economically important bananas exported to Europe and globally have genetic roots from Southeast Asia. Thailand is thus a key biodiversity source. Collaborating to collect wild banana genetics and store seeds in seed banks acts as protection against diseases and pests to preserve banana varieties for the future.
Besides showcasing rare bananas for tasting, the event included various food, baked goods, Thai desserts, drinks, and workshops. Particularly notable was the ‘Pinch, Hold, Fold, Wrap’ workshop led by Chef Ta Sethasiri Watchanapornpisan, an expert in Thai culinary and dessert craftsmanship, who invited participants to make banana desserts and learn the art of wrapping banana desserts and sticky rice bundles in banana leaves, experiencing Thai wisdom that transforms natural materials into both containers and food wrappers.
The ROS CHAAD THAI BANANA PARTY not only provided fun and delicious experiences for attendees but also served as a bridge connecting knowledge across food, geography, botany, and people. It fulfilled the goals of the ‘Ros Chaad Thai’ project by the Chef Cares Foundation, dedicated to documenting and passing on Thai food culture knowledge for younger generations to appreciate and sustainably develop. Follow Ros Chaad Thai on social media and visit www.roschaadthai.com for more details.