I remember the "smell of young sugarcane."

In the past, Quang Nam province had vast sugarcane fields in the districts of Dien Ban, Dai Loc, Duy Xuyen, Thang Binh, Que Son... The village of Dong Ban (Dien Ban), where Dr. Pham Phu Thu lived, is one example. During his lifetime, he used the nickname Gia Vien, meaning "sugarcane garden," to remember that he was from the land of sugarcane.

The path follows the boat out to the open sea.

As was customary, wherever sugarcane was grown, there were artisanal sugar mills. Pierre Poivre, a French merchant, during a trip to Dang Trong (1749-1750), stated: "...In the Cham province on the banks of the Faifoo River (i.e., Hoi An), there are domestic sugar mills... All the sugar refining processes are simple and, when completed, are completely identical to our sugar factories in Europe and America..."

Thanks to this, along with silk, sugar became the best-selling commodity in Quang Nam province. In Bao An village (now part of Go Noi commune, Da Nang city), there used to be a Sugar Wharf, a river port connecting Bao An to the Thu Bon River to transport sugar for sale throughout the country and to foreign merchants: "Bao An, with its riverbanks and boats, contributes to the richness of the countryside."

According to veteran sugar makers of Hoa My village (now part of Dai Loc commune, Da Nang city), the traditional sugar-making process involves many steps: The worker pours sugarcane juice, after it has been pressed using a ox-drawn cart, into a cast-iron pan to boil it with a little lime water (made from burnt clam and oyster shells).

After boiling, the sugarcane juice becomes a second-grade syrup, which is poured into four large pans for cooking, skimming off the foam as it cooks. During cooking, by transferring the syrup between the cast-iron pans, the sugar gradually thickens, becoming sticky, golden yellow, and fragrant—this is called soft sugar. Next, the worker uses a ladle to scoop the soft sugar into a container to be pounded with a wooden pestle, then skillfully pours it into bowls that have been greased with peanut oil or salt water, and lets it cool to become block sugar (palm sugar).

Sweet memories of Quang Nam

The best way to enjoy unsweetened sugar is when it's freshly made. When eating, dip chopsticks or a piece of sugarcane into the sugar, roll it into a small ball, and slowly bring it to your mouth to savor the unique sweetness that gradually permeates from the tip of your lips to the tip of your tongue. Breaking off small pieces of crispy grilled rice paper to eat with the unsweetened sugar is also a delightful option.

For a slightly more elaborate version, raw sweet potatoes are sliced, strung together, and cooked in a pot of tea water, then dipped into a pan of soft sugar syrup. The earthy flavor of the sweet potato and the chewy sweetness of the sugar combine to create a delicious, simple yet unforgettable dish. Sometimes, grilled rice paper is strung together in stacks and dipped directly into the boiling sugar syrup. The hot sugar permeates the rice paper, creating a sweet and refreshing taste while maintaining its crispness until the last bite.

Speaking of the pleasure of eating unripe sugar, I suddenly recall researcher Pham Huu Dang Dat once summarizing it quite interestingly like this: "In the past, many people were so addicted to eating unripe sugar that they would wait all year for the sugar-pressing season to enjoy a feast of unripe sugar to their heart's content. And, they would eat until, to use the colloquial expression of the people of Quang Nam, their throats were sore."

It's noteworthy that people from Quang Nam enjoy young sugar not only with their sense of taste and sight, but also with their sense of smell. Deep in the memories of those of us born in the 60s and 70s, decades ago, the "smell of young sugar" was something very special, indescribable. When the young sugar arrived, everyone would excitedly exclaim: "The sugar's here! It smells so good! So good!" Then we'd all inhale deeply, savoring the fragrant aroma as if it had permeated our very being.

The scent of fresh sugarcane drifts far on the wind. In an instant, the entire countryside is filled with this unique aroma. It doesn't assault the nose but lingers and settles. It's the scent of sugarcane fields, the smell of furnace fires, the culmination of a season of hard work, from planting and harvesting sugarcane to pressing and boiling it... This scent signals the arrival of the sugarcane harvest and indicates that the sugar mills are in operation. This scent precedes the call, precedes even the footsteps.

Now, the sugarcane growing areas of Quang Nam province have gradually shrunk. It's difficult to find the "sugar cane forests" of the 1970s and 80s. The image of bustling sugarcane pressing sheds filled with laughter and chatter, along with the sight of large pans of bubbling, fragrant sugar, is almost only a memory. Along with this comes the loss of valuable folk knowledge about traditional handcrafted sugar-making techniques of the region. Hopefully, in some rural areas, there are still diligent people "keeping the flame alive" for the traditional sugarcane and sugar-making craft of their ancestors. So that today's youth and tourists from near and far can have the opportunity to learn about young sugar – a long-standing culinary specialty of Quang Nam. And so that the "smell of young sugar" will not only be mentioned in songs but will also remain a lasting presence in contemporary life!

(*) Lyrics from the song "Beloved Quang Nam" by composer Phan Huynh Dieu.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/nho-mui-duong-non-3323546.html