The allure of Muong ethnic cuisine

Hanoi is home to many Muong ethnic minority communities in districts such as Thach That, Ba Vi, and My Duc, each with their own unique cultural characteristics. The most distinctive aspect is their cuisine, featuring dishes made with natural ingredients and using spices and cooking methods different from Vietnamese cuisine. Visiting the "Muong land" to enjoy Muong food has become a recent tourism trend.

A stall selling goods at a rural market in Ba Vì district.

In Hanoi , the Muong people mainly reside in semi-mountainous and mountainous areas.

Along with cultural differences, differences in living environments lead to many differences in eating habits and the use of ingredients and spices among the Muong people, especially in the use of foods and spices of natural origin. This is what makes Muong cuisine so appealing.

The Muong people have dozens of unique dishes that sound appealing just by hearing about them, such as buffalo meat cooked with lalom leaves, meatballs wrapped in pomelo leaves, and sour marinated fish, etc.

The unique characteristics of Muong cuisine are embodied in the "tram met" feast tray – a feast tray used during festivals, holidays, or when entertaining distinguished guests.

The feast served on a platter contains many kinds of wild vegetables, so it is also called a leaf feast.

The Muong people's grilled pork rolls wrapped in pomelo leaves are truly different from other grilled pork dishes. The main ingredient used is pork.

The Muong people choose pork belly from free-range pigs raised in their gardens, which has firm meat and little fat. There are two ways to prepare the meat: mince it or slice it thinly and marinate it with spices. The spices and herbs are the most special elements of this dish.

The Muong people often marinate pork with finely chopped herbs and seeds from their gardens and forests, such as betel leaves, perilla, mint, and Centella asiatica, along with seeds of the nutmeg tree and the seeds of the Sẻng tree (also known as mắc khén). Once the pork has absorbed the spices, it is wrapped in pomelo leaves and grilled.

Pork rolls wrapped in pomelo leaves are appealing thanks to the rich, sweet, and tender flavor of the pork, the fat of the pork creating a richness without being greasy, and the attractive aroma of pomelo leaves.

Besides the spring rolls wrapped in pomelo leaves, buffalo meat cooked with lồm leaves is also a very unique dish.

Buffalo meat is prepared by roasting it over charcoal until fragrant, then simmering it until the skin softens. Afterward, it's finely chopped and simmered again with broken rice and lồm leaves (Lá Giang). When cooked, the dish's flavors blend with the aromas of the lồm leaves, creating a unique taste.

The Muong people's feast on leaves includes many different dishes, such as boiled chicken, boiled pork, and offal, but it usually cannot be without pork rolls wrapped in pomelo leaves, sticky rice, and steamed fish.

"Ốt" is the name of a wooden steamer used for cooking food. Therefore, this fish dish is called "ốc đồ fish." Various types of carp, catfish, and snakehead fish are marinated with salt, pepper, ginger, lemongrass, chili, and star anise for about 30 minutes to absorb the flavors. They are then mixed with bamboo shoots, wrapped in banana leaves, and placed on the "ốt đồ" for 10 to 12 hours.

Once you've tasted it, you'll never forget the flavor of the spices blended with the sour bamboo shoots of the braised fish.

The feast served on leaves also features wild vegetables such as bitter melon, fern shoots, and other aromatic herbs. The Muong people also slice banana blossoms to eat as an accompaniment.

Currently, tourist areas in Ba Vì all serve dishes of the Muong ethnic group. However, the traditional Muong feast served on leaves, due to its elaborate nature, usually needs to be ordered in advance.

Two famous places for Muong cuisine are Long Viet Tourist Area (Ung Hoa commune) and Ban Cooc Tourist Area (Minh Quang commune, Ba Vi district).

Among them, Cooc Village Tourist Area is a community-based cultural tourism area, showcasing the cultural beauty of the Muong ethnic group. Here, tourists can also participate in many cultural experiences, attend the local market, and buy specialties of Ba Vi.

BAO KHANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/suc-hut-tu-am-thuc-dan-toc-muong-post848067.html