Anastasia Timofeeva (right) told the guests of the festival about the history of cultural relations between Russia and Thailand. Photo: Russian House in Thailand
A presentation of a republished version of the historical three-volume book of the 19th century took place within the framework of the gastronomic festival «Geography of Russian Taste». The book is dedicated to the trip of the tsarevich, the future Emperor Nikolai II to the countries of Asia. The Russian Geographical Society presented a modern version of the publication to business circles, diplomats, and journalists in Bangkok.
The original three-volume book «Journey to the East of His Imperial Highness the Sovereign Heir to the Tsarevich» was created by the orientalist and member of the Russian Geographical Society Esper Ukhtomsky, who accompanied the Grand Duke on the journey. In nine months, Nikolai II visited Egypt, India, Ceylon, Siam (Thailand), Singapore, China, Japan, and returned to St. Petersburg via Vladivostok, Transbaikalia, and Siberia. Ukhtomsky’s work combines a travel diary and historical and cultural research, including geographical and ethnographic observations, as well as vivid essays on the countries and peoples of the East at the end of the 19th century. The book was published in three volumes between 1893 and 1897 and brought the author national fame.
«The international project 'Geography of Russian Taste’ is dedicated to the 135th anniversary of Tsarevich Nikolai Aleksandrovich’s visit to Siam in 1891, » said Anastasia Timofeeva, Adviser of the Expert Analytics and International Affairs Department of the RGS. «This event became one of the symbolic points of the beginning of friendly relations between Russia and Thailand. The heir to the Russian throne was awarded the highest Siamese order of the Maha Chakri. In turn, King Chulalongkorn of Siam was presented with the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle the First-Called. This helped establish a trusting dialogue between the two countries. Today, the republishing of literature on shared historical and cultural heritage continues to strengthen relations between the business and cultural circles of Russia and Thailand. In the future, it is planned to transfer copies of the book to the National Library of Thailand and the Siamese Society under Royal Patronage.»
The republished book of the RGS about the travels of Nikolai II to the East contains 700 illustrations, which were manually created by the artist and traveler Nikolai Karazin. In addition, the three-volume book is illustrated with photographs of Vladimir Mendeleev, the son of an outstanding Russian chemist. In the book, you can find sketches and testimonies about Thailand, which allows a modern audience to see the country through the eyes of the expedition participants. The updated version of the publication is supplemented with personal and geographical indexes, a travel map. This makes the publication accessible to both researchers and a wide range of readers.
During the festival, a gastro dinner was held, where the cuisines of Russia and Thailand met. The chefs of the two countries have prepared an unusual menu. The guests were treated to borsch with coconut milk and shrimp, buckwheat porridge with wood ear mushrooms, and other authentic dishes.
In addition, the organizers had prepared an exhibition dedicated to the history of the dynastic friendship between the Russian Imperial house of Romanov and the royal Chakri dynasty (the ruling dynasty in Thailand, which has been in power since 1782).
The book "Journey to the East of His Imperial Highness the Sovereign Heir to the Tsarevich". Photo: Russian House in Thailand
The project was organized by Rossotrudnichestvo and the Restaurant Group of Russia, founded by Aleksey and Dmitry Vasilchuk. The event was held with the partner support of the Russian Embassy in Thailand. Thai cuisine was represented by chef Pimtip Paosila (Belle), and the Russian gastronomic school was represented by Aleksandr Raylyan.
