I still cherish the bitter herbs growing behind the house...

The song "Still Loving the Bitter Herbs Growing Behind the House" was composed by musician Bac Son based on the poem "Bitter Ground Herbs" by poet Nguyet Lang before 1975. In 2017, the song was officially licensed for public performance by the Department of Performing Arts after more than 40 years since its composition.

"Still Cherishing the Bitter Herbs Growing Behind the House" was composed spontaneously, and every time I eat Vietnamese savory pancakes, I'm reminded of a line from the song: "Those far from their roots, sitting alone, remember the green bamboo groves, wandering through the sky of memories, suddenly craving bitter herbs in soup" ... Every time I go to a restaurant, I ask the owner for a few extra sprigs of bitter herbs, something only found in humble eateries. The sprigs are small, modestly placed on the plate, but the bitter herbs still stand out from the lettuce, perilla, and mint... I don't know if it's the smell, the deep green color, the slender shape, or the slightly astringent, crunchy, and chewy taste that attracts me. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, bitter herbs are considered to have a bitter taste, a cooling nature, and support liver function and stimulate digestion...

Take a piece of soft rice paper, roll up a small pancake, add a little bit of each vegetable (just one sprig or leaf), dip it in a little diluted fish sauce, fragrant with chili, that's what attracts diners. Remind the pancake stall owner that the pancake doesn't need to be very crispy, just slightly firm, slightly soggy, and hot; the pancake and vegetables must be tightly wrapped for the best taste. This style of eating pancakes wrapped in vegetables seems to be unique to Nha Trang. In the Mekong Delta and South Central Vietnam, bitter greens are usually eaten with snakehead fish porridge or catfish hotpot.

Bitter greens grow everywhere, nestled among the grass along the edges of the rice fields. After the harvest, they are even more abundant. "May the summer sun no longer be sad, so I can sit and remember the green bamboo groves, wander around the sky of memories, and suddenly crave bitter greens soup." In Nha Trang, as winter approaches, why do I crave bitter greens pancakes?

NGOC VAN

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/202512/con-thuong-rau-dang-moc-sau-he-d4b5d5c/