Upland rice is the main food source for sustaining life, and the raw material for preparing dishes and drinks for daily life as well as for festivals. Many traditional rituals and festivals of the people also follow the growth cycle of upland rice...
The ethnic minorities in the Truong Son - Tay Nguyen region have rituals to worship and seek permission from the spirits when clearing land, sowing seeds, and planting, praying for the rice plants to grow well, bear abundant grains, and yield a bountiful harvest. They believe that through these rituals, the Rice God, the Mother of Rice, will bless them, not only providing rice and crops to eat but also bringing peace and health to their families.
To ensure bountiful harvests, the people perform many rituals to worship the mother rice and observe many taboos related to the spirit of the rice. Every year, when the rice in the fields ripens to a golden yellow, the people begin the harvest season and celebrate the new rice, also known as the New Rice Festival.
The spirit of the rice is also the embodiment of the rice seed. The ethnic groups in the Northern Central Highlands believe that the spirit of the rice sleeps during the "ninh nong" months (months of rest after the harvest); on the first day of the year, when the Thunder God awakens the Rice God, the whole village resumes production. The people organize the bringing of the rice spirit from the granary to the fields during the first days of clearing and planting, and welcome the rice spirit back from the fields to the granary during the harvest.
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| People of various ethnic groups often pound rice with hand pestles to create their distinctive red rice product. |
Upland rice (both glutinous and non-glutinous) is used to prepare many foods and drinks, forming the culinary traditions of various ethnic groups. It is cultivated on slopes, absorbing the dew and mist of the land, giving it a distinctive mountain and forest aroma.
Locals pound rice in wooden mortars to remove the outer husk, which is called "red rice" or brown rice. The rice grains retain their bran and germ, making them very nutritious. They are often used as gifts, cooked to entertain honored guests, and offered to deities in traditional ceremonies.
Besides regular rice, upland sticky rice is also a staple food for ethnic groups. People process sticky rice into many different dishes such as steamed sticky rice, sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes (com lam), flattened rice flakes, five-colored sticky rice, cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves, etc. Com lam is delicious, unique, and has a distinctly different flavor from regular rice; it has a very appealing aroma. Besides the aroma of sticky rice, there's also a hint of the flavor of the bamboo tube from the forest. Com lam grilled over charcoal fire is called "sticky rice grilled in bamboo tubes," which chars the outer layer, giving it a delicious aroma.
A characteristic type of cake of the ethnic minorities in the Truong Son region is sticky rice cake wrapped in reed leaves, called buffalo horn cake or snail cake. The people make buffalo horn cakes for festivals such as the New Rice Festival, weddings, housewarming parties, or as a snack, to eat while traveling, to entertain guests, or to give as gifts to relatives. Another type of sticky rice cake, pounded and mixed with sesame seeds, is called a yớh, which is sweet, chewy, and fragrant. Especially at weddings, a yớh cake is mandatory because it is essential for the subsequent ceremonies to proceed. This is also a delicious and convenient food that can be preserved for a long time, so the people use it as a reserve food source like dried rations. They often carry a few pieces of this cake to eat while going into the forest, hunting, or working in the fields.
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| The distinctive red color of upland rice is achieved after it has been pounded in a wooden mortar. |
Upland rice varieties grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides still thrive. Many types of upland rice have become popular products on the market, and are showcased at agricultural product fairs and cultural exchange festivals.
A prime example is the Ra Du upland rice variety of the Pa Ko people in A Luoi district ( Hue City), a rare and precious rice variety that has become a specialty. The rice grains have a light red color, and cooked rice from Ra Du is very fragrant and delicious, not greasy, with a rich, chewy texture, not sticky or cloying, and a characteristic mild sweetness. The local people also call it "sacred rice." It is often used by the villagers as an offering to Yang, the Rice God, during their festivals. This rice is also used by the people to cook meals to entertain honored guests, especially sons-in-law.
Rice varieties such as Bhaton upland rice of the Bhnoong people, Ra Ma red rice of the Cor people, and red rice of the Ca Dong and Xe Dang people are offered as sacrifices to the gods and used to cook meals for honored guests visiting the villages. Many upland rice products have been developed into brands and are OCOP (One Commune One Product) products. Several traditional drinks made from upland rice, such as rice wine, black glutinous rice wine, and purple glutinous rice wine, have been included in the OCOP product catalog in many localities nationwide.
Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202505/lua-ray-nguon-song-dai-ngan-4e00d0d/
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