The last person to keep the profession of making 'poor family jam' in Hue

TPO - Every time the Lunar New Year approaches, the small kitchen of Mrs. Le Thi Tu (86 years old, Thuy Xuan ward, Hue city) is filled with the sweet aroma of cassava jam - a rustic dish imbued with the flavor of the homeland every spring.

TPO - Every time the Lunar New Year approaches, the small kitchen of Mrs. Le Thi Tu (86 years old, Thuy Xuan ward, Hue city) is filled with the sweet aroma of cassava jam - a rustic dish imbued with the flavor of the homeland every spring.

Visiting Mrs. Tu’s house on the days before Tet, it is easy to see her and her daughter busy peeling and processing each cassava root to make traditional jam. Cassava jam, once known by the popular name “poor family jam”, has been associated with the childhood of many generations of Hue people.

Mrs. Tu and her daughter are busy making cassava jam in the days before Tet.

According to research, Mrs. Tu’s family is one of the last places that still preserves the traditional craft of making cassava jam. In the red-hot kitchen, Mrs. Tu shared: “For nearly 60 years, my family has continued to make this jam. I want to preserve the traditional dish of my ancestors, as a gratitude for the difficult years, when cassava and sweet potatoes saved many generations from starvation.”

Hue has long been known as the land of Tet jams with dozens of famous jams such as ginger jam, lotus seed jam, kumquat jam... Each type has its own unique characteristics, elaborately processed thanks to family secrets. To make delicious cassava jam, each fresh cassava root must be carefully selected, peeled, soaked in water to remove the resin, then boiled. The cassava is cut into bite-sized pieces, dried and then simmered with sugar until the cassava pieces are clear and chewy, covered with a layer of shiny white sugar.

Cassava is carefully processed, peeled, soaked in water to remove the sap, boiled. Then cut into bite-sized pieces and dried.

Mrs. Tu shared that the secret to having a delicious batch of jam is to keep an even heat and stir constantly so that the cassava does not burn and the sugar crystallizes beautifully. When enjoying, Hue cassava jam not only has a sweet taste but also has a slightly nutty, chewy taste, evoking a familiar feeling of the homeland.

To have a delicious batch of jam, you must keep an even heat and stir continuously so that the cassava does not burn and the sugar crystallizes beautifully.

When asked about the name “poor family jam”, Mrs. Tu smiled and explained: “In the past, life was still difficult, and meals mixed with cassava and sweet potatoes were common. Cassava jam was not a luxurious dish at that time, but it was always present on the Tet tray of poor families. That is why people jokingly called it “poor family jam.”

The jam is sold for 140,000 VND/kg.

In the midst of modern life, when many traditional occupations are gradually fading away, there are still people who quietly keep the fire burning, continuing the quintessence of their ancestors. One of them is Ms. Do Thi Tuong (64 years old), the only daughter of Ms. Tu, who has been making cassava jam with her mother for many years. Ms. Tuong shared that although the work is hard and the income is not high, she is always happy because she can preserve the flavor of her hometown and pass it on to the next generation.

“Making cassava jam is not only a profession, but also a love and affection for the land of Hue. Every time I taste the jam, I feel my childhood memories come flooding back,” Ms. Tuong confided. Thanks to workers like Ms. Tu and Ms. Tuong, Hue cassava jam is still present in families every Tet holiday, becoming a simple but meaningful gift from the countryside for friends and relatives.

Duy Quoc

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nguoi-cuoi-cung-giu-nghe-mon-mut-nha-ngheo-xu-hue-post1711963.tpo