Sunflower Fields in Thailand
December is a month of rejuvenation for the people of Thailand. The crops have been harvested, the cool season has arrived, and the sunflower fields are fully in bloom.
Every province in Thailand has a few sunflower fields, often planted by a university agricultural program or the provincial government — both as a tourist attraction and to promote the health benefits of the sunflower, which in the Thai language is called “dàwk taan dtà-wan” (ดอกทานตะวัน), which literally means “the flower that eats the sun”.
It’s believe that Japanese sunflowers were the first sunflowers to be brought to Thailand, arriving in Siam sometime during the latter part of the Ayutthaya period (1351 – 1767). During these early days, the Thai people would sometimes refer to the sunflower as “duang dtaa wan” (ดวงตาวัน), which means “the eye of the day.”
Sunflowers as Thai Crops
While the Thai government has tried to encourage sunflower growing as a cash crop, because it is easy to grow (even in poorer soil) and is resistant to drought, not many Thai farmers have taken up sunflower growing, because the yield is pretty low for the land required.
The largest sunflower fields are in Lop Buri and Saraburi province, where the farmers supplement their sunflower crop income with money generated from Thai tourists visiting the fields from nearby Bangkok.
In Sakon Nakhon (Northeast Thailand), the Phu Phan Development Study Center grows a sunflower field every year (ทุ่งทานตะวัน@ศูนย์ศึกษาการพัฒนาภูพาน). The field is a popular attraction among locals seeking a pretty place to take photographs. The sunflower field can be visited daily from 8:30 am – 4pm.
If you do pay a visit to the sunflower fields at Phu Phan and are looking for a nearby attraction to visit, we might suggest Wat Non Sawan, one of our favorite temples in Sakon Nakhon, which is located about 6.5 kilometers north of the fields.
Thai Sunflower Dishes
While most people are well aware of the sunflower’s edible seeds, sunflower saplings are also edible and highly nutritious. On rare occasions, Thai dishes such as stir fried sunflower sprouts in oyster sauce (ตะวันผัดน้ำมันหอย), sunflower sapling salad (ยำต้นอ่อนทานตะวัน) and sunflower omelets (ไข่เจียวทานตะวัน) can be found served at restaurants in Thailand. All are a delicious and should be tried if you get the chance.
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