Bun Song Than, a rustic vermicelli dish made from mung beans, a famous specialty throughout the country, is only available in An Thai craft village (Binh Dinh).
About 34 km northwest of Quy Nhon city, along the banks of the Kon River, An Thai - a place not only famous as the cradle of traditional martial arts in Binh Dinh but also the oldest traditional craft village in Binh Dinh. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, An Thai craft village was known as a bustling urban area with highly developed crafts such as: forging, metal casting, carpentry, paper, vermicelli, cakes, silk weaving, dyeing... But now only vermicelli and cake crafts remain and develop into a brand.
Coming to An Thai village in Nhon Phuc commune, An Nhon town, we will enjoy traditional specialties of famous craft villages with names such as: An Thai rice paper, vermicelli number 8, round rice vermicelli, dong vermicelli (banana root vermicelli), fake rice vermicelli, Vietnamese flour vermicelli, pho noodles, and especially Song Than green bean vermicelli.
Song Than noodles are famous for their special delicious taste and high nutritional value. People in An Thai village say that the reason why it is called Song Than noodles is because the craftsmen often tie the noodles in pairs, many people read it as "song than" noodles. There is also a lot of information that this is a premium type of noodles, very nutritious, so in feudal times, local officials all brought Song Than noodles to the king, so it is also called "Tien Vua noodles".
Sunny summer days are the time when the most vermicelli and rice cakes are sold on the market and stored for the rainy season. The pure white vermicelli rolls and the long rice paper strips like silk strips are dried on bamboo trays under the sun and wind on the golden sand of the Kon River.
From 11:30 p.m., An Thai craft village starts working. People are busy with the steps to prepare noodles and produce products.
The most famous craft village is Song Than green bean vermicelli (2-string vermicelli). The craftsmen here said that to make 1kg of Song Than vermicelli, it takes 5kg of green beans. 5kg of green beans are ground and filtered many times to produce 1.2kg of pure white green bean powder, then kneaded to make 1kg of dried Song Than vermicelli.
If it is sunny, each family can produce more than 100 kg of vermicelli per day on average. During Tet, in addition to the domestic workers, households making Song Than vermicelli have to hire more people to help. Currently, Song Than vermicelli is sold wholesale at a price of more than 200,000 VND/kg. According to local people, in the past, all the steps were done by hand, but now it has been improved by using machines, saving time, labor and increasing productivity. Now, only kneading the dough, pouring the dough into boiling water, and spreading it out on a drying rack are still done by hand.
An Thai vermicelli is divided into three types: noodle vermicelli, rice vermicelli and Song Than vermicelli. Each type has a different price. Making dry vermicelli is not difficult, the vermicelli making process is not too complicated, but each establishment has its own secret. To make delicious vermicelli, you must choose fragrant sticky rice; the rice flour must be ground thoroughly, soaked and filtered properly and for the right amount of time.
Currently, people in An Thai village, Nhon Phuc commune, An Nhon town are also focusing on expanding the production of dried vermicelli and rice paper to supply markets in many places, thereby developing the family economy and creating jobs for many people.
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