Foraging for Thailand's forgotten edible plants

A walk on the wild side:

In the context of the massive threats to our planet's biodiversity and louder responses from political movements like Extinction Rebellion,  I wanted to write about how as increasing numbers of plant species disappear, we lose our knowledge of how useful (or delicious!) these plants may be. As this happens - something of traditional culture is lost too.

I profile local permaculturalist Goustan Bodin, who runs foraging tours on Bang Kachao, Bangkok's Green Lung to educate people about the diverse variety of edible plants growing there.

Bodin (AKA P'Dan) offers wild betel leaves for fellow foragers to try.  Photo: Ewen Mcleish 

From a different perspective, Michelin starred Chef 'Bee' Santongun of gourmet restaurant 'Paste Bangkok' uses wild, foraged and rare ingredients to give a twist to classic Thai dishes.

Chef Bee of Paste Bangkok examining wild ingredients. Photo: Paste Bangkok

In different ways, I think they are both, by tickling people's tastebuds, raising awareness of Thailand's great biodiversity and why its preservation is important.

I was grateful to the pair for taking the time out of their busy schedules for interview and for introducing me to a variety of tastes I otherwise may never have experienced.

The full article was published internationally by news website Coconuts in their Travel section, which reaches 8 cities across South East Asia.

Click here to read the whole piece.