Preserving traditional profession, creating income from rice wine

(GLO)- These days, many Jrai people in the Gia Lai plateau have begun brewing rice wine to enjoy with their families and communities during Tet. The fragrant jars of wine are not only a specialty associated with traditional culture but also bring a stable income to many households.

In the midst of modern life, each jar of Ruou Can not only carries the flavor of the mountains and forests but also contains the sentiments, hospitality and sustainable identity of the Jrai people. Ruou Can is an indispensable drink in holidays, Tet, weddings, worship ceremonies or community activities.

Ms. Rlan Loan makes jar wine from homegrown sticky rice, combining yeast to create fragrant wine with a sweet taste. Photo: R'Ô HOK

To preserve this cultural beauty, in November 2022, the Women's Union of Kte Nho village (Phu Thien commune) established the "Can wine yeast" model to help women share their experiences in making traditional leaf yeast and increase their income.

Ms. Ksor H'Bu - a member of the "Can Wine Yeast" model - said: "We regularly encourage women to preserve the ingredients for making Can Wine Yeast, and instruct them on how to prepare it so that it is both delicious and healthy.

According to Jrai custom, rice wine is always present in important events of the village. We are brewing a lot of rice wine for the Binh Ngo New Year 2026”. We went to the house of Ms. Ksor H'Doai (Kte Nho village, Phu Thien commune), who is famous for making rice wine.

Ms. H'Doai said that to have a delicious jar of rice wine made in the traditional way, the most important step is making the leaf yeast, the factor that determines the flavor and success of the wine.

Before brewing the wine, she went into the forest to find roots and barks of many precious trees. The ingredients were washed, chopped, mixed with finely ground rice flour, kneaded with water, shaped into round yeast cakes, covered and left to dry in the sun for a few days before use.

Once the yeast is complete, she begins the fermentation process: The rice is cooked, spread out on a tray to cool, and then mixed with yeast and rice husks. This mixture is put into a jar, sealed, and placed in a cool place. The wine is usually fermented for at least 2 weeks to ripen; the longer it is left, the sweeter and richer the flavor.

According to Ms. H'Doai, in addition to natural ingredients, the quality of wine also depends on the weather and the skill of the maker. Each family has its own secret recipe, creating a unique flavor.

“I have known how to make jar wine since I was young. My family always has a few jars of jar wine to entertain guests. During Tet, I make a lot to give to my brothers and relatives. The wine can be drunk after 7 days of fermentation, but the longer it is fermented, the better it tastes,” said Ms. H’Doai.

Ms. Ksor H'Doai introduces the traditional wine making of the Jrai people. Photo: R'Ô HOK

Like many other families, Mrs. Rlan Loan (village C, Gao commune) is also busy making jar wine at the end of the year to prepare for Tet. She grows several acres of sticky rice to proactively have raw materials.

Each jar she makes can produce 6-10 liters of wine. In addition to using it for her family, she also sells it for 300,000-500,000 VND/jar. Thanks to the delicious wine, customers from inside and outside the province come to buy it. During the Lunar New Year last year, she sold 100 jars of wine.

“Previously, I made wine from cassava but found it not tasty. Later, I switched to using homegrown sticky rice and combining it with yeast, so the wine is much more fragrant and sweet,” Ms. Loan shared.

Mr. Siu Khek - Party Cell Secretary and Head of Village C - said: The village has 112 households, of which 98 are Jrai and most of them know how to make jar wine, most concentrated on holidays and Tet. Among them, there are people who make good wine, which is ordered a lot by customers from far away like Mrs. Rlan Loan.

In Quy Tan village (Ia Pa commune), Mr. Rcom Chom's family has preserved the jar wine making profession for 3 generations. At the end of the year, his family produces yeast and jar wine in large quantities to serve the increasing demand of everyone.

Mr. Chom said: To have a good jar of wine, you have to be meticulous from the selection of ingredients to the processing. The yeast is made from the roots of precious medicinal plants in the forest... All are ground, mixed with rice flour, water and rice husks, then incubated for 3 days and 3 nights, then dried for 10 days to be used as wine yeast.

Every month, his family produces an average of more than 2 tons of wine yeast for customers to buy and brew wine themselves. In addition to making yeast, Mr. Chom also brews wine to sell at 250,000-350,000 VND/jar of wine depending on the size.

“My family’s jar wine and yeast make everyone praise it, it’s sweet and doesn’t give them headaches. Many people order it this Tet holiday, it’s both fun and keeps our ancestors’ craft alive,” Mr. Chom said excitedly.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/giu-nghe-truyen-thong-tao-thu-nhap-tu-ruou-can-post571573.html