The taste of the mountains and forests at the foot of Lang Biang Mountain

We came to the land at the foot of Lang Biang mountain, strolled around the villages of Dang Gia, Bon Dung, Bnoh… formerly belonging to Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province; now being residential groups belonging to Lang Biang ward-Da Lat and were lucky to join the Lang Biang culinary and wine festival.

What could be more enjoyable than inhaling the aroma of fermented wine, the rising smoke carrying the flavors of rustic dishes, mountain products grilled on a charcoal stove. The aroma of sticky rice, grilled meat, grilled fish, bitter eggplant cooked with buffalo skin… lingers and spreads.

For generations, the Co Ho people have lived in villages surrounded by mountains and forests, so they have sought out ingredients from the forest or in their gardens to prepare their dishes. After having the ingredients, they prepare the dishes according to the “recipes” that have been passed down, combining spices from the mountains and forests to create a unique flavor. While preparing the dishes, Ms. Tha Ri introduced them to us: “Our village has grilled stream fish and a salad of fern picked from the forest, all made from natural ingredients.

Since ancient times, our people's food sources have all come from nature, so our villagers always want to preserve the traditional culinary culture. Grilled stream fish is a popular dish of the Co Ho people in particular and many other ethnic groups in the Central Highlands, often included in family meals. Ms. Tha Ri said that to have a unique flavor of grilled fish, the fish must be kept whole and grilled. The stream fish are grilled with charcoal at a moderate distance and heat so that the fish meat is cooked evenly and has a delicious flavor.

Near the culinary space of Tha Ri, Mr. Ro Ong Miel is preparing sticky rice with wild chestnuts. He said: “Sticky rice is not strange to the Co Ho people, but when cooked with wild chestnuts, it becomes a special dish, with a rich, sweet aroma.” Along with the familiar sticky rice, the Co Ho people also have delicious dishes made from ingredients from the fields and forests, such as grilled wild rattan shoots, or wild betel leaves in the forest, which can only be picked by experienced people, otherwise it is easy to mix in poisonous leaves.

“Betel leaves can be processed into many dishes, such as young leaves used to cook bone porridge, or cooked in bamboo tubes; old leaves can be sliced to cook or dried for storage. Many people use crushed betel leaves with a little rice to create a thick consistency, this way of processing brings a unique flavor, especially when eaten with fish, shrimp, and prawns caught from the stream,” Mr. Miel shared.

At the foot of Lang Biang Mountain, bitter melon cooked with buffalo skin is a traditional dish of the indigenous Co Ho people, often cooked on important occasions of families, clans, villages or to entertain distinguished guests. Musician, researcher of Central Highlands culture, village elder Krajan Plin is famous for this traditional culinary dish. He said that the way to make this dish is quite elaborate and takes a lot of effort. The buffalo skin is left with its hair and dried thoroughly, or left on the kitchen loft. When it needs to be processed, the buffalo skin is taken out to be burned. To have a distinctive flavor, the buffalo skin must be burned with a wood stove until it is black, then beaten to remove all the burnt parts on the outside of the skin, while beating, scraping off the unnecessary parts, beating so that the skin expands and is cut into bite-sized pieces. Before processing, the buffalo skin is soaked in filtered water overnight. Finally, cook with soft eggplant, bitter eggplant picked from wild plants growing on the hillsides and chili until the skin is just tender... I enjoyed the bitter eggplant dish cooked with buffalo skin prepared by old man K'Plin and could not forget the bitter, sweet, cool aftertaste of this typical dish.

I was lucky to come to this land many times during the festival season, to experience the Lang Biang forest yeast and to sway with the mountain girls in the passionate nights of the highlands. In this land, in community activities, where there is fire, there is often rice wine. When the fire flares up and people just "hold the jar and drink the sacred mountain forest". To have a jar of fragrant, sweet, and light-hearted rice wine requires a lot of effort. Elder K'Plin said that most of the women here know how to make rice wine. Rice, sticky rice, corn... can all be used to make wine. However, Lang Biang rice wine has its own secret. It is the upland rice and the forest yeast that create the characteristic aroma. The lid of the jar is also a work of effort, made from ash and water. When the wine is ripe, the aroma spreads throughout the long house. Lang Biang rice wine is intoxicating but sobering, floating like mountain mist.

Recipes for traditional dishes of the Co Ho people are almost never recorded in writing, but the preparation is based on teachings, experience, and traditional customs. However, depending on the skill and creativity of the cook, the dish will have its own flavor. Now, the typical dishes of the Co Ho people at the foot of Lang Biang Mountain have become a culinary culture that attracts tourists. "The locality is oriented to develop tourism associated with preserving cultural identity, traditional craft villages, and exploiting the landscape and space values of Lang Biang Mountain. Along with the beauty of the natural landscape, we want to introduce the culinary culture of the indigenous people to promote the image of the land, people, and traditional cultural values of the ethnic groups in the area," said Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lang Biang Ward - Da Lat Cil Poh.

Article and photos: Bao Van

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/huong-vi-nui-rung-duoi-chan-nui-lang-biang-389992.html