The intoxicating aroma of Bang Phuc herbal wine

The traditional craft of brewing rice wine with leaf yeast has been maintained by the Tay ethnic people in the Bang Phuc (formerly) region – now Dong Phuc commune – for hundreds of years. What gives Bang Phuc rice wine its unique and unmistakable flavor is the secret of its yeast starter. The yeast balls are handcrafted by the locals from precious medicinal plants growing in their homeland's forests and mountains. It is this unique flavor that has made Bang Phuc rice wine famous for generations.

What gives Bang Phuc herbal rice wine its unique and unmistakable flavor is the secret recipe for making the yeast used in its fermentation.

The yeast fruit is a crystallization of indigenous folk knowledge.

The former Bang Phuc commune, now Dong Phuc commune, is located at an altitude of approximately 1,400 meters above sea level. Situated in a high-altitude area with a cool climate year-round, it has long been famous both within and outside the province for its traditional rice wine making using leaf yeast. To produce rice wine with its distinctive flavor, the locals process the yeast balls themselves as the raw material for each batch of wine.

The family of Mr. Phuong Ngoc Thoan, in Na Pai village, Dong Phuc commune, is one of the households famous for their traditional herbal rice wine making, with a sales volume of up to thousands of liters per month.

Mr. Thoan shared: "Since my father's time, our family has maintained the tradition of making fermented rice cakes using about twenty different types of medicinal plants. These plants are divided into three main groups. The first group includes species where the stems, roots, and leaves can all be used, such as: wild marigold, Artemisia capillaris, twisted chrysanthemum... The second group includes those where only the stems and leaves are used, such as: three-pronged plant, quail egg plant, Vietnamese coriander, lemongrass, curly-fruited plant, Angelica dahurica, loquat tree, and Acanthopanax senticosus. The last group mainly uses the roots and tubers, with galangal being the most common."

After being selected and blended according to a secret ratio, these medicinal herbs are boiled to extract the liquid, which is then mixed with flour to create the yeast – the soul of the famous Bang Phuc rice wine flavor.

When making yeast balls, people put rice flour and galangal flour into a clean bowl and mix them thoroughly according to their own family recipe. Then, they add boiled and cooled herbal water to the rice flour and galangal mixture. The amount of herbal water added is just right so that the flour mixture is neither too dry nor too wet, and when molded into a ball, it doesn't stick to the hands.

While skillfully shaping the yeast balls, Mr. Phuong Ngoc Thoan and his wife shared: "In many localities, yeast is usually shaped into small balls about the size of a teacup, but the Tay people who make rượu (rice wine) in the Bang Phuc (old) area usually shape the yeast balls into large ones, about the size of a rice bowl, each weighing 250-300g."

After the yeast balls are molded, they are left to ferment. The fermentation area is usually a raised platform made of wood or bamboo, about 70-80cm above the ground, lined with a 2cm thick layer of clean straw. The straw used for fermentation must be rice straw harvested during the main cropping season, harvested and threshed by hand. Straw cut from combine harvesters should not be used because it is susceptible to mold, mildew, or contamination with mud.

When placing the yeast balls in the fermentation chamber, do not stack them or place them too close together. Cover the chamber with a thin layer of straw; if the weather is cold, cover it with a blanket. During the fermentation process, if the weather is favorable, the yeast balls will begin to ferment after 2-4 hours.

After 2-4 days, white fungal hyphae will appear on the yeast cakes, and the cakes will gradually dry and turn grayish-white. When the hyphae are about 1cm long, move the yeast cakes to a dry, well-ventilated place to dry naturally.

Once the yeast cakes are dry and weigh only about one-third of their original weight, string them together with about 10 cakes each and hang them on a rack in the kitchen attic to protect them from moisture and insects.

Previously, the Tay people in this region focused on making yeast only from August to October in the lunar calendar. This is the transitional period between autumn and winter, when the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and the humidity is just right, favorable for the fermentation and drying process.

Nowadays, due to market demand, rice wine is produced year-round by the locals, with the process of making yeast cakes lasting from approximately March to the beginning of November in the lunar calendar.

Ingredients used to create OCOP export products.

The herbal rice wine product of Thanh Tam Cooperative has been certified as a 4-star OCOP product at the provincial level and meets the standards for export to the Japanese market.

Through their long history of yeast-making, the Tay people here have accumulated a rich foundation of knowledge about medicinal herbs, harvesting times, mixing ratios, and traditional yeast fermentation and preservation techniques. This knowledge has been passed down and developed by successive generations.

Dong Phuc commune currently has over 300 households maintaining the traditional craft of brewing rice wine with leaf yeast, mainly concentrated in the former Bang Phuc area, including the villages of Phieng Phung, Na Bay, Ban Khieu, Ban Chang, Na Pai, Na Hong, Khuoi Cuom, Ban Quan, etc. The production volume reaches over 200,000 liters per month. Revenue from this traditional rice wine brewing activity is estimated at nearly 65 billion VND per year.

Ms. Nong Thi Tam, Director of Thanh Tam Cooperative, which specializes in producing herbal rice wine, said: "Previously, herbal rice wine was often sold within the commune and district in plastic containers or glass bottles without any indication of origin. Since joining the cooperative and the OCOP program, Bang Phuc herbal rice wine has been packaged in attractive packaging and designs, becoming clearly recognizable and favored by consumers in many provinces and cities."

In 2022, Thanh Tam Cooperative's herbal rice wine product received a 4-star OCOP certification at the provincial level and met all the conditions and standards for export to the Japanese market. To date, the cooperative has maintained stable orders in each batch.

The unique feature of Bang Phuc herbal rice wine is its mild, fragrant, traditional taste. It contains no artificial flavors or additives, and doesn't cause headaches thanks to being handcrafted from yeast made from various medicinal herbs harvested from the forest. This delicate combination has created a special flavor favored by many consumers in various provinces.

In addition, currently in Dong Phuc commune, there are several cooperatives and businesses that collaborate with households to produce traditional handcrafted herbal wine, creating many herbal wine products with different names such as: Tam Son herbal wine, To Hoai herbal wine, Bang Phuc herbal wine, etc.

Mr. Trieu Quang Hung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Phuc commune, said: "From the traditional craft of brewing rice wine with leaf yeast, households have combined it with pig farming and earned hundreds of millions of dong each year. In the future, the commune will support many households and production facilities in registering business licenses, assisting with food safety documentation, trademark registration, and traceability. We encourage the formation of groups and linkages between production households and cooperatives and businesses to standardize products and expand markets. We will research the development of a collective trademark or geographical indication for 'Dong Phuc Rice Wine with Leaf Yeast'. The commune will educate people to maintain the traditional recipe and flavor of brewing rice wine with leaf yeast to preserve the brand."

Since the new road connecting Bac Kan ward with Ba Be Lake was completed (passing through Dong Phuc commune), the transportation of herbal rice wine has become much more convenient. Trucks carrying the wine, imbued with the aroma of mountain herbs, can now reach consumers everywhere quickly.

Based on the valuable folk knowledge about making leaf yeast passed down from their ancestors, the people of Bang Phuc in particular and Dong Phuc commune in general have continuously preserved and developed the traditional craft of making rượu (Vietnamese rice wine). This ancient craft has been preserved by the people and contributes to providing a stable income.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/dat-va-nguoi-thai-nguyen/202508/huong-say-men-la-bang-phuc-a070661/