VII. Of the Grain of Siam.
At Siam, in the Lands high enough to avoid the Inundation, there grows Wheat: they water them either with watering Pots like those in our Gardens, or by overflowing it with the Rain-water, which they keep in Cisterns much higher than these Lands. But either by reason of the Care or Expense, or that the Rice suffices for common use,
the King of Siam only has Wheat; and perhaps more out of Curiosity than a real Gusto. They call it Kaou Possali, and the word Kaou simply signifieth Rice. Now these terms being neither Arabian, or Turkish, or Persian, I doubt of what was told me, that Wheat was brought to Siam by the Moors. The French which are settled there, do import Meal from Surrat; altho' near Siam there is a Windmill to grind Corn, and another near Louvo.
In a word, the Bread which the King of Siam gave us, was so dry that the Rice boil'd in pure water, how insipid soever, was more agreeable to me. I less wonder therefore at what the Relations of China report, that the Sovereign of this great Kingdom, altho' he has Bread, does rather prefer Rice: yet some Europeans assur'd me, that the wheaten Bread of Siam is good, and that the driness of ours must proceed from a little Rice-flower, which is doubtless mixt with the Wheat, for fear perhaps the Bread should fail.
At Siam I have seen Pease different from ours. The Siameses, like us, do make more than one Crop, but they make only one in a year upon the same Land: not that the Soil was not good enough, in my opinion, to yield two Crops in a year, as some have related concerning some other Cantons of India, if the Inundation did not last so long.
They have Turky-Wheat only in their Gardens. They do boil or patch the whole Ear thereof, without unhusking or breaking off the Grains, and they eat the inside. จาก
A NEW HISTORICAL RELATION OF THE KINGDOM OF SIAM โดย Simone de La Loubère