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Cover
story
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25 May 05
Vol.
22 No. 4 |
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In
Thai idiom, "a banana matter" means
an easy task or something trivial. However, in
practical Thai ways of life, there are many things
that have something to do with the banana.
Considering plants that
have been closely linked to the traditional Thai
ways of life, the banana can be placed among the
top ranks. This is not only because its parts
are used in many traditional ceremonies but also
due to the high nutritive value of its fruit that
has made it a simple home remedy or a quick fix
for flagging energy levels.
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Bananas
are available in Thailand all year round. Thai
bananas come in all shapes, sizes and colours.
There are spherical, ping pong ball-sized kluai
khai tao (turtle's egg banana); curved, delectably
perfumed kluai leb mue nang (dancer's fingernail
banana), and many more exotic species. |
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varieties that are commonly found in all fruit
markets are the rather big-sized, popular all-day
snack kluai hom (fragrant banana); the
thinner, small-sized, golden-yellow kluai khai
(egg banana); the sticky and sweet, highly nutritious
kluai nam wa; and the southern delicacy
kluai leb mue nang that has become widely
popular for its miniature size, fine shape and
sweet taste. Above all, Thai bananas are very
cheap comparing to those in western countries.
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Kluai khai (Egg banana)
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With
only one US dollar, you can enjoy up to two hands
of this nutritious fruit.
Also, the banana is a very beneficial plant to
the Thai household. To begin with, most parts
of the plant can be used for various purposes
as explained below: |
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Banana plants
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Leaf
and stem of the banana
In former times,
the banana was linked to and became an important
part in the Thai ways of life from birth to death.
When a mother was delivered of a baby, there was
a preparation of altar offerings to a midwife
for an auspicious start to the new mother and
the new baby. At this stage, the banana was a
must as a part of the offerings.
Today, as formerly, when a baby starts to eat,
its first food is bananas as it is considered
a fruit of high nutrition and friendly to its
digestive system. |
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for bigger children, some parts of the banana
can be made into simple toys. A banana stem is
cut and made into a horse or a gun for children
to play with, and the leaf can be woven into such
animals as a centipede and taphian fish.
It can also be folded into an oboe. |
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Children riding on horses
made of banana stems
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Generally,
a banana leaf can also be used as an umbrella
because of its large size, to wrap food or things,
and to cover soil to prevent the evaporation of
its moisture. Moreover, the leaf of a kind of
banana called tani, is used as cigarette
papers and those of wild bananas can be used to
roof a house temporarily.
Banana
leaf is an important material in making Thai handicrafts
such as a kind of receptacle called krathong,
which is floated on rivers on Loy Krathong evening
and a beautiful decoration on a footed tray called
phan dok mai, etc. |
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 Baisi,
an embellishment of the banana leaf on a traditional
tray used in ceremony |
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The
fibrous outer layer of the stem of the banana
plant is left to dry and split into strips and
used as ropes to tie such things as vegetables.
The banana and all its parts are used in numerous
traditional ceremonies. For example, in a traditional
wedding, the banana plant is used in a procession
of dowry from the groom's to the bride's house.
Banana leaf is also used to make a baisi, an embellishment
of the banana leaf on a traditional tray used
in ceremony of welcome or engagement. A stem of
banana, when carved, is used to decorate a house
when there is an auspicious ceremony. |
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Formerly,
at the end of one's life, banana leaf was used
as a mat for the dead body. The stem was also
perforated into scrollwork to decorate a coffin.
As for the benefits of the fruit, banana is a
proven nutritious fruit for all ages.
Fruit of banana
Apart from being a nutritious food for babies
as mentioned above, banana is proven as possessing
many curative properties as it contains various
kinds of vitamins and minerals. Thus, it can help
overcome and prevent many kinds of illnesses and
conditions. The abundant nutritional contents
described below explain some benefits of eating
bananas. |
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Potassium: Due to its impressive potassium content,
banana is highly recommended by doctors for patients
whose potassium level is low. |
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Varieties of banana desserts
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A
research has shown that the potassium-packed
fruit can help boost brain powers and alertness
for children in their learning process. High in
potassium, yet low in salt, banana can help lower
blood pressure and reduce the risk of death by
strokes by as much as 40%. It can also help normalise
the heartbeat, send oxygen to the brain and regulate
the body's water balance.
• Tryptophan: The cooling property in tryptophan
can help stabilise one's emotional state. In many
cultures, banana is viewed as a 'cooling fruit'
that can lower both the physical and mental temperatures
of expectant mothers. |
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Banana in syrup
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In
Thailand, it is believed that eating bananas by
a pregnant woman can help her baby to be born
with a cool temperature. Moreover, a natural mood
enhancing property contained in tryptophan can
also help sufferers of Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD).
• Iron: Banana is high in iron that can stimulate
the production of haemoglobin in the blood. Hence,
it helps in cases of anaemia.
• Fibre: The banana can help restore normal
bowel movement without the ill effect of a laxative
as it is high in fibre. In addition, with its
soft texture and smoothness of its flesh, it is
used as a dietary food against intestinal disorder
and chronic ulcer cases. In over-acidity cases,
bananas help neutralise its condition and reduce
irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
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Banana boiled in coconut milk
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Vitamins: The Vitamin B contained in bananas can
help calm the nervous system. Moreover, its vitamin
B6 also performs an important role in regulating
blood glucose levels, which is related to one's
mood condition. Therefore, its role in normalising
blood glucose levels can also help avoid morning
sickness and hangovers. |
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Fried bananas and roasted
bananas
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high levels of such other vitamins and minerals
as Vitamin B6, B12, potassium and magnesium bananas
contain, are also beneficial to people trying
to give up smoking by helping them recover from
the effect of nicotine withdrawal. |
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Kluai leb mue nang
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| However,
banana is not only the fruit that provides healing
effects but its skin is also made use as a natural
alternative for curing bites and warts. The inside
of a banana skin can be used to apply to mosquito
bites to help reduce swelling and irritation before
you can get a proper insect bite cream. It is
also used as a wart remover by placing it on the
wart with a plaster or surgical tape. |
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| Besides
eating banana as a fruit, Thais also make many
kinds of desserts from banana, such as glazed
bananas, fried bananas dipped in batter, buat
chi bananas (bananas boiled in coconut milk),
roasted bananas, candied bananas, etc. |
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Pressed banana in syrup
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| As
time passed, the roles of using parts of banana
as such materials as food wrappers or children
toys, as well as its role in some ceremonies,
has been reduced and has been mostly replaced
by plastics or other easier-to-find materials.
However, there is an attempt to help conserve
the art of decoration from parts of banana, especially
for traditional ceremonial purposes, as it is
considered a fine art from ancient Thai folk wisdom.
In addition, its role as a nutritious fruit has
become widely known. |
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