Go eat rice paper dipped in sugar

Đường mía - Ảnh 1. — Many people and tourists come to experience dipping rice paper in sugar - Photo: THANH THUY

In Que My commune, Que Son district, Quang Nam province (now Que Son Trung commune, Da Nang city), the traditional sugar cane furnace is still red hot, carefully preserving drops of handmade, quintessential sugar to send to many places.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hai’s sugar mill (72 years old, residing in Que Son Trung commune, Da Nang city) has been burning red fire for decades. Although it has gone through many ups and downs, sometimes the sugar mill temporarily closes, but it is still open to serve people every time the sugarcane season comes.

Đường mía - Ảnh 2. — The worker continuously stirs and scoops to make the sugar thicken quickly - Photo: THANH THUY

Previously, in Que Son Trung commune there were dozens of sugar kilns, but now Mr. Hai's sugar kiln is the rare remaining sugar kiln in the area.

The sugar mill operates from the fourth lunar month until people run out of sugarcane. The area for sugarcane cultivation in the area is gradually shrinking, so Mr. Hai's sugar mill usually only operates on weekends, to serve tourists who come to visit and enjoy the dish that is deeply imprinted in the memories of many people - rice paper dipped in young sugar.

Rice paper dipped in sugar is a dish using golden grilled rice paper dipped in smooth young sugar water during the process of cooking powdered sugar.

Đường mía - Ảnh 3. — Golden grilled rice paper, dipped in sugar - Photo: THANH THUY

To get that young sugar water, it has to go through many stages. First, the sugar cane is pressed to get the juice. The sugar cane juice is cooked in many large pans connected together.

The later pans, the thicker the sugar becomes. In the last pan of sugar, the sugar water is used to dip rice paper and to pour into powdered sugar.

While cooking, the worker continuously scoops, stirs, and tosses the sugar to thicken it quickly. When the sugar has reached a certain consistency, which people in the profession often call "the sugar has reached its peak", it is also the time when the rice paper is "bathed" in the sweet, fragrant sugar.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hai shared: "We try to do this to preserve the traditional craft of our homeland. Many visitors from far away are surprised and delighted to see that the sugar mill still exists. Therefore, we preserve it so that everyone can visit, learn and recall memories of the past."

Đường mía - Ảnh 4. — Rice paper dipped in sugar is a dish associated with the childhood of many people in Quang Nam - Photo: THANH THUY

For many people, rice paper dipped in young sugar is a hometown gift that reminds them of their hard times. This dish has been attached to many children in poor lands, so when they grow up, that sweet taste still follows them to new lands full of nostalgia.

On weekends, Mr. Hai's sugar cane kiln is bustling with people coming and going, mostly visitors who come to experience, visit and enjoy the rice paper dipped in young sugar.

Đi ăn bánh tráng nhúng đường - Ảnh 5. — Sugarcane juice is cooked in large cast iron pans connected one after another - Photo: THANH THUY

After traveling dozens of kilometers, Mr. Pham Nhu Tuan (65 years old) came to the sugar mill with the hope of finding his old memories.

"I'm old and don't eat much, but I want to go to the sugar mill to see the traditional sugar cooking process of our ancestors. Moreover, I want to enjoy sugar rice paper, a dish that has been associated with the childhood of poor children in Quang Nam," said Mr. Tuan.

Đường mía - Ảnh 6. — The wavy sugar mixed with peanuts is also a memorable dish for many people - Photo: THANH THUY

For Mr. Nguyen Duc Thiet (55 years old), sugar rice paper is a childhood dish that he misses. When he learned that in Que Son Trung commune there was still a sugar cane kiln, he traveled 40km to find it.

"The sweet taste of sugar rice paper has been with me throughout my childhood. Now that I can enjoy it again, the image of poverty but full of joy from the past comes flooding back. Eating rice paper is like eating all the memories into my heart," Mr. Thiet shared.