Maria Guyomar de Pina ( th, มารีอา กียูมาร์ ดึ ปีญา; 1664 – 1728) (also known as ''Maria Guiomar de Pina'', ''Dona Maria del Pifia'' or as ''Marie Guimar'' and ''Madame Constance'' in
French), Thao Thong Kip Ma ( th, ท้าวทองกีบม้า), was a
Siamese woman of mixed
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
-
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
-
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
ancestry who lived in
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
in the 17th century. She became the wife of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
adventurer
Constantine Phaulkon
Constantine Phaulkon (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Γεράκης, ''Konstantinos Gerakis''; γεράκι is the Greek word for "falcon"; 1647 – 5 June 1688, also known as Costantin Gerachi, ''Capitão Falcão'' in Portuguese and simply as ' ...
.
Maria Guyomar is known in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
for having introduced new
dessert
Dessert is a course (food), course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and ...
recipe
A recipe is a set of instructions that describes how to prepare or make something, especially a dish of prepared food. A sub-recipe or subrecipe is a recipe for an ingredient that will be called for in the instructions for the main recipe.
His ...
s in
Siamese cuisine
Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand.
Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong Odor, aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson (chef), David ...
at the
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
court. Some of her dishes were influenced by
Portuguese cuisine
The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dishes of meat, fish, poultry and others.
''Culinária Portuguesa'', by António-Maria De O ...
, especially
egg yolk
Among animals which produce eggs, the yolk (; also known as the vitellus) is the nutrient-bearing portion of the egg whose primary function is to supply food for the development of the embryo. Some types of egg contain no yolk, for example bec ...
-based sweets such as ''
foi thong'' ("golden threads") and ''
sangkhaya''.
Biography
Maria was born in
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
during the reign of King
Narai
King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Pr ...
. Her mother was a Japanese woman, named Ursula Yamada, whose family had emigrated to Thailand following the
repression of Christianity in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
Her father Fanik Guyomar (also Phanik Guimar), from the
Portuguese colony
The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...
of
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
, was a Bengali Christian of mixed Portuguese and Bengali descent.
Maria Guyomar was brought up as a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. In 1682, Maria married
Constantine Phaulkon
Constantine Phaulkon (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Γεράκης, ''Konstantinos Gerakis''; γεράκι is the Greek word for "falcon"; 1647 – 5 June 1688, also known as Costantin Gerachi, ''Capitão Falcão'' in Portuguese and simply as ' ...
after he abandoned
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
for Catholicism. They had two sons, George "Jorge" Phaulkon and Constantin "João" Phaulkon, and lived a life of affluence as Phaulkon rose to become highly influential at the royal court of king Narai.
During the period of
rapprochement between France and the Siamese court Maria Guyomar de Pinha, together with her husband Phaulkon, was promised French protection by being ennobled a
countess
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...
of France. During the
1688 Siamese revolution, after the execution of her husband on 5 June, she managed to flee Ayutthaya with the help of a French officer named Sieur de Sainte-Marie and took refuge with the French troops in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
on 4 October, but the Commander of the French fort
General Desfarges Marshal Desfarges, also spelled Des Farges (died 1690), was a French general of the 17th century who took an important role in French efforts at establishing a presence in Siam (modern Thailand).
Desfarges led two battalions (636 soldiers) on board ...
returned her to the Siamese under pressure from the new ruler, usurper
Phetracha
Phetracha (alternative spellings: ''Bedraja'', ''P'etraja'', ''Petraja'', ''Petratcha''; also called ''Phra Phetracha''; th, เพทราชา, ; 1632– 5 February 1703) was a king of the Ayutthaya kingdom in Thailand, usurping the throne fr ...
, for the exchange of hostages on 18 October.
Despite the promises that had been made regarding her safety, she was condemned to perpetual slavery in the kitchens of Phetracha until his death in 1703, but remained and became the head of the royal kitchen staff.
One of her sons, Jorge, became a minor official at the Siamese court. Her second son, João, was known to have been put in charge by
Prince Phon of building a German
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
for the royal palace.
[Smithies 2002, p.180] According to French missionary sources he was called ''Racha Mantri'' and was at the same time a supervisor of the Christians in Ayutthaya and the official in charge of the royal storehouses.
In her later life, Maria, together with her daughter-in-law Louisa Passagna (widow of João), continued to sue the
French East India Company
The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...
to recoup money which her husband Phaulkon had lent to the company. She was vindicated in 1717 through a decree from the Council of State in France, which provided her with a maintenance allowance.
Maria died in 1728.
Thai desserts
Maria Guyomar took the position of cook in the palace in the period of King Narai and introduced many new desserts into the
Siamese cuisine
Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand.
Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong Odor, aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson (chef), David ...
such as
curry puff
A curry puff ( ms, Karipap, Epok-epok; ; th, กะหรี่ปั๊บ, , ) is a snack of Maritime Southeast Asian origin. It is a small pie consisting of curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried or baked pastry shell. The con ...
,
Khanom mo kaeng,
Thong muan,
Thong yot
Thong yot ( th, ทองหยอด, ), also known as "gold egg-yolks drops", is an ancient Thai dessert and one of the nine auspicious traditional Thai desserts. Thong Yot originated in Aveiro District, Portugal. Thong Yot was adapted from o ...
,
Thong yip
Thong yip ( th, ทองหยิบ, ), also known as "pinched gold egg yolks" in English, is one of the nine auspicious traditional Thai desserts. It is usually made for important occasions and ceremonies such as weddings, ordinations, and hou ...
,
Foi thong,
Sangkaya and
Khanom phing.
[ :th:ท้าวทองกีบม้า (มารี กีมาร์ เดอ ปีนา) Wikipedia: "ท้าวทองกีบม้า"(March 9, 2013) Retrieved October 22, 2013] Such desserts were presented and served to King Narai and his daughter Princess
Sudawadi who appreciated them and promoted them. Khun Luang Ha Wat or King Uthumphon said that the desserts were distributed and sold in the market in area of Pa-Khanom.
[พิทยะ ศ., "สยาม-โปรตุเกสศึกษา:บทบาทในการเผยแพร่วัฒนธรรมการกินอยู่ของชุมชนชาวโปรตุเกสในประวัติศาสตร์ไทย"](_blank)
February 5, 2011) Retrieved October 22, 2013 Following the success of the new desserts in the palace, some nobles requested to be taught the recipes. Many of her desserts were yellow like gold, a colour that was considered auspicious and pleasant in Siamese tradition. Thus, the desserts that Maria had introduced were widely popularized.
The Historical Archives of the
Archdiocese of Bangkok
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangkok ( la, Archidiœcesis Bangkokensis, th, อัครสังฆมณฑลกรุงเทพฯ) is a Latin archdiocese in Thailand. The bishop's seat is the is the Assumption Cathedral, Bangkok.
...
mention that, although she introduced some local Siamese ingredients in them, Maria's sweets were largely based on traditional Portuguese desserts. The original Thai desserts had had flour, sugar or palm sugar and coconut as the main ingredients
and Maria is credited with having introduced egg or yolk, refined sugar, soybean starch or cassava starch, as well as nuts, in her desserts.
[Historical Archives Archdiocese of Bangkok "แรกทองหยิบ ฝอยทอง...มา สยาม"](_blank)
Retrieved October 22, 2013 Angel hair or ''
Fios de ovos
Angel hair, called in Portuguese ''Fios de ovos'' ("egg threads") is a traditional Portuguese sweet food made of eggs (chiefly yolks), drawn into thin strands and boiled in sugar syrup. They are a traditional element in Portuguese and Brazil ...
'', also known in Thai as Foi Thong, are egg threads where yolks were drawn into thin strands and boiled in sugar syrup. Next, Thong Yip, which is a sweet made from egg, was developed from ''Trouxa de ovos''. They have a different external look, Thong Yip is pleated but Trouxa de ovos are rolled. Also,
Khanom mo kaeng is a sweet made from flour egg and coconut milk, is similar to
Tigelada, a Portuguese traditional sweet that has rolled almond as main ingredient.
During King Narai’s period, a version known as ''Khanom kumphamat'' ( th, ขนมกุมภมาศ) was served to the king in a pot which was made from precious metal.
[“Maitri Thai-Portuguese” MThai"ประวัติความเป็นมาของขนมไทย ที่ไม่ใช่ของคนไทย!!"](_blank)
(May 30, 2013) Retrieved October 22, 2013
There is, however, some disagreement over Maria’s role in popularizing the desserts, Pridi Phitphumwithi claimed that some of the kinds of dessert attributed to Maria had been previously known by Siamese people. They had been named “Convent sweet” because they were cooked by the nuns in Portuguese convents.
Matichon Online""ฝอยทอง"ไม่ใช่คำตอบ"ไทย-โปรตุเกส"เปิดลึกสายสัมพันธ์ 500ปี และงานสัมมนาที่ว่างเปล่า..."
(September 21, 2011) Retrieved October 22, 2013 Other critics claim that even though a large array of Siamese desserts are claimed to have been invented by Maria, only two kinds of dessert — Foi thong and Thong yip
Thong yip ( th, ทองหยิบ, ), also known as "pinched gold egg yolks" in English, is one of the nine auspicious traditional Thai desserts. It is usually made for important occasions and ceremonies such as weddings, ordinations, and hou ...
— can be fully said to be the fruit of her own skill.
Popular culture
The role of Maria Guyomar is featured in the 2018 historical drama TV series '' Love Destiny'' (original title ''Bupphesanniwat''). She is portrayed by the Anglo-Thai actress Susira "Susi" Naenna.
See also
*Luso-Asians
Luso-Asians (Portuguese: ''luso-asiáticos'') are people whose ethnicity is partially or wholly Portuguese and ancestrally are based in or hail primarily from Portugal, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. They historically came under the ...
*Thai food
Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand.
Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai ...
*Nine auspicious Thai desserts The nine auspicious Thai desserts are used for traditional ceremonies such as weddings or housewarmings, because of their good meaning (the word ''“gao”'' which means “nine” in Thai and also signifies prosperity).
Most of the desert names ...
Bibliography
* Reid, Anthony (Editor), ''Southeast Asia in the Early Modern Era'', Cornell University Press, 1993,
*Smithies, Michael (2002), ''Three military accounts of the 1688 "Revolution" in Siam'', Itineria Asiatica, Orchid Press, Bangkok, คึกเดช, ก. (2002).ท้าวทองกีบม้า. Bangkok Thailand: สำนักพิมพ์แห่งจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย
Thao Thong Kip Ma - Her life in comic (in Thai)
References
External links
Thai cuisine: Khanom Mo Kaeng Thua (ขนมหม้อแกงถั่ว)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinha, Maria Guyomar de
Maria Guyomar de Pinha
Maria Guyomar de Pina ( th, มารีอา กียูมาร์ ดึ ปีญา; 1664 – 1728) (also known as ''Maria Guiomar de Pina'', ''Dona Maria del Pifia'' or as ''Marie Guimar'' and ''Madame Constance'' in French), Thao Thong Ki ...
Maria Guyomar de Pinha
Maria Guyomar de Pina ( th, มารีอา กียูมาร์ ดึ ปีญา; 1664 – 1728) (also known as ''Maria Guiomar de Pina'', ''Dona Maria del Pifia'' or as ''Marie Guimar'' and ''Madame Constance'' in French), Thao Thong Ki ...
Maria Guyomar de Pinha
Maria Guyomar de Pina ( th, มารีอา กียูมาร์ ดึ ปีญา; 1664 – 1728) (also known as ''Maria Guiomar de Pina'', ''Dona Maria del Pifia'' or as ''Marie Guimar'' and ''Madame Constance'' in French), Thao Thong Ki ...
1664 births
1728 deaths
Maria Guyomar de Pinha
Maria Guyomar de Pina ( th, มารีอา กียูมาร์ ดึ ปีญา; 1664 – 1728) (also known as ''Maria Guiomar de Pina'', ''Dona Maria del Pifia'' or as ''Marie Guimar'' and ''Madame Constance'' in French), Thao Thong Ki ...
People of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
17th-century Thai women
House slaves
17th-century slaves
18th-century slaves
Slavery in Thailand