The Origins of Fruit & Vegetable Carving

The delicate and exquisite art of fruit and vegetable carving originated in Asia over 700 years ago. A consort of King Phra Ruang, Nang Noppamas, wanted to create a unique decoration for the Loi Kratong Festival (floating lantern festival), one of the major festivals in Thailand, still celebrated today.

Nang Noppamas carved a flower and bird using vegetables and placed them on her lotus-shaped rafts that would be released into the river to honour  the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha.
. The king was so impressed by the magnificence of the carving that it became an integral part of Thai heritage, and he decreed that all Thai women learn this new art form. The art of fruit and vegetable carving has since been adopted by many cultures and is a creative and fun way to turn simple foods into decorative masterpieces.

In honour of the King of Fruit, here’s a look at some amazing apple carvings and some neat facts you may not have known about apples.

Apple Swan

Photo courtesy of williewonker

Did you know…
Apples are a member of the rose family.

Apple Leaf

Photo courtesy of eigi

Did you know…
Apples were brought to North America with colonists in the 1600s, and the first apple orchard on the North American continent was said to be near Boston in 1625.

Apple Globe

Photo courtesy of Kevin Van Alest

Did you know…
China is the leading producer of apples with over 1.2 billion bushels grown in 2001.

Apple Butterfly

Photo courtesy of Engadgeteer

Did you know…
There are 7,500 varieties of apples grown throughout the world.

Apple Flower

Did you know…

25 percent of an apple's volume is air. That is why they float.

Apple Petals

Did you know…
The game of apple-bobbing began as a Celtic New Year’s tradition for trying to determine one’s future spouse.

Biting Apple

Photo courtesy of Engadgeteer

Did you know…
If you grew 100 apple trees from the seeds of one tree, they would all be different.

Apple Lobster

Photo courtesy of www.edithzimmerman.com/blog/

Did you know…
It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.

Apple Head

Photo courtesy of Dark Mattr

Did you know…
You shouldn’t peel your apple! Two-thirds of the fiber and many of the antioxidants are found in the apple peel.

Apple/Cucumber Leaves

Photo courtesy of wtimm9

Did you know…
It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.

More Apple Swans

Photo courtesy of Carving Fruit Into Edible Arrangements

Did you know…
The largest apple picked weighed three pounds.

Apple Heads

Photo courtesy of The Bird Bath

Did you know…
Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free.

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