Beyond being a local staple rated as a three-star OCOP product, com lam (steamed sticky rice in bamboo pipes) has been imbued with the culture of the Muong Dong ethnics who believe that com lam is an accomplishment of the locals after a hard working year, and an indispensable delicacy to tickle Tet holiday taste buds.
Photo: Locals in Mo Da residential area, Bo town, Kim Boi district, develop Muong Dong com lam into a three-star OCOP product.
The quintessence of Muong Dong
In order to create the distinctive flavour of com lam, Muong Dong people meticulously select ingredients, with large and milky white glutinous grains preferred. The rice is soaked for about 8-12 hours before being rinsed thoroughly and mixed with a pinch of salt and finely chopped coconut flesh. It is then tightly packed into bamboo tubes and filled with water up to the brim.
As for bamboo tubes, they should be 35-40 centimetres long, cut from fresh and sturdy bamboo trees which are not too old or too young to avoid the rice from drying out or getting burnt.
The rice tubes must be roasted over charcoal between 45 and 50 minutes, and rotated every 15 minutes until they are fragrant.
Com lam could be served with grilled pork, chicken, minced fired pork and pickled bamboo shoots; however, it offered the best taste when paring with muoi vung (minced roasted peanuts, sesame and salt).
According to Dinh Thi Ly, a resident in Mo Da who has considerable experience in making com lam, the secret to making tender and fragrant com lam lies in the glutinous rice grown in mineral-rich water land, and the cook’s experience.
In the Muong customs, men are responsible for preparing meals. However, when it comes to com lam, all people are adept at making it. Com lam has been an integral part of the locals’ daily life and become a unique feature of the Muong culture.
Making com lam reach far and wide
There are currently over 30 households in Mo Da residential area making com lam. To meet market demands, they have worked to improve the production process while still preserving its traditional essence. Along with enhancing product quality, they have focused on improving the product’s packaging and labelling them with origin-tracing stamps. Besides, all products are vacuum-sealed for better preservation. Currently, Muong Dong com lam is served at restaurants and put on sale at supermarkets in many provinces and major cities nationwide.
Pham Hong Son, an owner of Muong Dong com lam production establishment, said his family sells up to 8,000 com lam tubes each month to the market, each valued at 7,000-8,000 VND (0.29-0.33 USD).
As part of the efforts to develop the brand of Muong Dong com lam, locals want to set up a cooperative to gradually complete procedures to develop geographical indication, further improve product quality, and expand market for the staples, he added.
Com Lam not only enriches the culinary culture of the Muong Dong people but also contributes to promoting the Muong culture to tourists and those interested in exploring the traditional cuisine. The lives of the people in Muong Dong have undergone many changes, but com lam remains an indispensable traditional dish, and a gift that is spotlighted at festivals, fairs, and events.
Mo is a term referring to a profession and cultural heritage which integrates folk beliefs with folk culture and arts. Practiced at funerals and religious rituals by the Muong ethnic people, it aims to provide spiritual comfort during significant life events such as illness and death.
Hoa Binh leaves a strong impression on visitors due to the diversity in the lifestyle and cultural identities of its ethnic groups. The province is home to six main ethnic groups, with a total population of nearly 900,000. The largest group is Muong, making up 63.3% of the population, followed by Kinh with 27.73%, Thai 3.9%, Tay 2.7%, Dao 1.7%, Mong 0.52%, and other ethnic groups 1.18%. Along with the long history of the nation’s formation and defence, the province’s ethnic groups have always been united, hardworking, and determined to strive for socio-economic development. At the same time, each ethnic group displays its own unique and distinct cultural identity, contributing to a diverse, rich, and attractive cultural tapestry.
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
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