Thanh Tuan roasted pork bread has been famous for more than ten years in Ca Mau . Not only in Ca Mau City, but people in the districts also often come to buy it because of its rich, delicious flavor, suitable for the taste of people in the West. Interestingly, people do not pay attention to the Thanh Tuan roasted pork sign but only tell each other to call it by the name "Gas Station Bread", because when starting a business, the owner chose to sell at the corner of Luu Tan Tai and Phan Ngoc Hien streets (Ward 5, Ca Mau City), right next to the gas station (which people often call the Old Bridge gas station). And from then until now, people often call it "Gas Station Bread".

To be exact, since 2007, Mr. Bui Thanh Tuan (born in 1974, originally from Ca Mau), owner of Thanh Tuan roasted pork shop, started his business selling roasted pork sandwiches, roasted pork pieces, roasted pork for parties...

Thanh Tuan roasted pork - served with rice vermicelli and bread, a popular dish in Ca Mau. (Photo provided by the character)

Ms. To Uyen, born in 1992, daughter of the owner of Thanh Tuan roast pig oven, recounted: “In 2007, my father came to learn the trade at a relative's roast pig shop in Bac Lieu City. Here, he was guided, taught the trade and taught the family secrets by his relative. My father cherished and wanted to follow in his footsteps, so he and my mother made a small roast pig oven in the backyard. Roasting pigs by hand, roasting pigs in a jar and using mangrove charcoal, instead of the modern electric roasting method. After many trials and experiments, my mother asked for permission and was allowed to sell at the corner of Luu Tan Tai and Phan Ngoc Hien streets, Ward 5 today. In the beginning, my parents set up a cabinet to sell bread, rice vermicelli with roast pig and took orders to roast pigs according to customers' requests. When they first started their business, the shop only had one person helping my parents sell. Gradually, the name "Gas Station Bread" began to be known to everyone".

“Gas station bread” is not strange to Ca Mau people, every morning when passing by, you will see a lot of people waiting to buy. Perhaps, the family secret combined with the heart of the shop owner has helped the flavor of Thanh Tuan roasted pork quickly become known and loved by many people.

Ms. Uyen shared more: “To have a delicious piece of roast pork, my father has always been dedicated and diligent in his work for more than ten years. Every morning at 2am, he wakes up and checks each piece of meat delivered by the owner of the roasting house. The meat must be hot and freshly slaughtered. The spices used to marinate the pork are traditional spices taught by relatives in Bac Lieu. The meat must be marinated and left for a certain period of time, so my father wakes up very early. For all those years in the profession, my father only bought ingredients from a Chinese shop at Ben Thanh market and for all those years, he only roasted the pig using a small pot and traditional charcoal. Although it is more modern now, he still does not choose to roast it using a convenient and quick electric oven, but only roasts it the old way, to keep the most delicious flavor.”

Up to now, after nearly 15 years since starting the business, customers have become friends. Customers from far away come to buy on every Thanh Minh or death anniversary and do not forget to ask the owner of the pig roasting oven about his health and business. It is not only a concern, but also a joy for the traditional profession, the profession that Mr. Tuan has chosen to keep the fire burning. The small bakery has developed more, accepting orders for roasting pigs and ducks, and at the same time thinking of new dishes such as: char siu rice, roasted pork rice... Recruiting more workers than before, so that on holidays, Tet, especially Thanh Minh, it can operate at maximum capacity, meeting the needs of customers.

To serve the customers, Mr. Tuan opened another restaurant with the same name at 66 Huynh Ngoc Diep Street, Ward 5, Ca Mau City, making it more convenient for people from near and far to come and sit down to eat and chat. However, perhaps people still prefer the original name and location, so the small sandwich shop is still busy from early morning to serve "customers".

Ms. Uyen belongs to the young generation but is also choosing to follow in her parents' traditional footsteps. Ms. Uyen shared: “I have been following my parents since the beginning, every day I have the opportunity to learn and follow their instructions. My current wish is not only to learn the profession, understand the traditional profession as well as the secrets of my parents, but also to take advantage of the advantages of the new era to bring the flavor of Thanh Tuan roasted pork further. I introduce to friends and customers far away about the flavor of my family's roasted pork through my personal Facebook, Fanpage, share many beautiful pictures of my family's roasted pork to customers, introduce to new customers, stimulate the taste buds of old customers. In addition, I also send goods to many customers far away, so that the traditional flavor of my family is known to customers outside the province, and customers in the district also have less trouble when they need to order. Above all, I still want to learn and keep the family secret, from there develop many new dishes to serve people near and far and also to preserve the family's traditional profession"./.

Thao Linh

Source: https://baocamau.vn/-banh-mi-cay-xang--a2265.html