OUR
PROJECT
Our mission is to preserve, carry forward, and build upon ways of life, local wisdom, and culture through food.
Each project is translated into different forms of media, including dishes served at our space, photobooks, documentary films, and exhibitions.
Palmyra palm sugar has been intertwined with the lives of people in Sukhothai for more than 700 years. Yet today, fewer than ten traditional palm-sugar knowledge holders remain in the community.
Uncle Phong is one of the few who still makes palm sugar according to the knowledge passed down through generations. His lifetime may mark the final chapter in the long relationship between people and palmyra palms in Sukhothai.
At the age of 67, no one can know how much time remains for this way of life.
This is why we are trying to preserve the knowledge handed down by those who came before us — so that the smoke from the wood fire does not fade away.
Endless Scent of Palm.
Reserch & Develop
After learning more about traditional palmyra palm sugar making in Sukhothai, we met Uncle Phong and his family in late 2022. Uncle Phong is one of the remaining local knowledge holders of this tradition. From that point on, we began documenting the process while developing products alongside the research. We started by measuring sweetness levels, boiling times, and the different steps that give Sukhothai palm sugar its distinctive character. Through this process, we came to understand how each element affects the final taste: the collection of palm sap, the fermentation of sap while still on the tree, boiling time and temperature, the type of firewood used, and the traditional ways of observing the sugar as it cooks. Together, these elements create a flavour that is distinct from palm sugar made in other regions. All of this knowledge has been documented and developed into a photobook and documentary film, so that it can be studied, shared, and passed on to future generations.
Endless Scent of Palm
PHOTOBOOK
After working with the community for three years, we came to realise that products alone were not enough to preserve the way of life and traditional processes that give Sukhothai palm sugar its distinctive aroma and flavour.
We therefore began gathering photographs, video footage, records of the production process, and the knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation. These materials became a photobook — a record of the story, the process, and the knowledge that we hope can be carried forward by future generations.
Endless Scent of Palm, by Taste From The Root, is a photobook documenting the traditional practice of palmyra palm sugar making in Sukhothai. Beyond recording the process in detail, the book reflects the local wisdom behind it, the relationship between the community and the natural environment, and the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next.
Amid rapid social and cultural change, these practices are gradually becoming images of the past.
Relate Product
