Unique taste
On weekends, I had the opportunity to visit the Cham village in Chau Phong commune. The charming river scenery, beautiful mosques, and traditional Cham houses gave me a very unique feeling about this land. I stopped by the stall of Ms. Phaymah, residing in Phum Soai hamlet to ask about the traditional cake making profession, and she gave me enthusiastic instructions.
Ms. Rofiah at her family's traditional cake stall. Photo: THANH TIEN
“I learned this baking profession when I was young, more than 30 years ago. In the past, Cham girls were often taught cooking and needlework by their grandmothers and mothers to take care of their families in the future, and baking techniques were one of the many things I had to learn. In the past, whenever a family in the village held a party, we often went over to help cook, so although life was not yet prosperous, it was very happy,” Ms. Phaymah recalled.
Saying that, she lifted the lid of the cake mold, causing the fragrant aroma to spread into the conversation. Ms. Phaymah said that for women over 40 years old like her, traditional baking is also a way to make a living. At her small stall, she makes all kinds of cakes such as: sponge cake, sandwich cake, turmeric cake (three-hole cake), spicy cake... each type has a unique flavor, making diners remember it forever after just one taste.
“There are so many types of Cham cakes that it is impossible to remember them all at once. Even though I have been making cakes for decades, I still don’t know how to make them all. There are types of cakes such as paykarah, kalink, ti-am, kagam, ngam paran, saykaya, ngam ken. Although they are just side dishes, Cham cakes also appear at parties for guests to nibble on and make their conversations more lively. Thanks to that, the cake-making profession still exists in the lives of the Cham people until now,” Ms. Phaymah shared.
According to Ms. Phaymah, from familiar ingredients such as flour, eggs, green beans, etc., Cham women have created many types of cakes thanks to their skillful hands. For a long time, the Cham village of Chau Phong commune has attracted a lot of visitors, so her cakes are enthusiastically received. "Visitors coming here also buy cakes to try, most of them say they are delicious, so I am very happy. Besides improving their lives, I also introduce to tourists traditional dishes of the Cham people," Ms. Phaymah proudly said.
Preserve and develop
Not stopping at serving small groups of tourists, An Giang tourism industry also introduces Cham cakes at many events and fairs with promotional purposes inside and outside the province.
In particular, at the 9th Southern Folk Cake Festival in 2022, artisan Rofiah, residing in Chau Phong commune, was awarded a gold medal for his grilled rice cake and paran cake, made from natural ingredients and products such as rice, palm sugar, coconut... thereby affirming the value of traditional cakes in the unique Cham culture.
Tourists enjoy learning about the traditional cake making profession of the Cham people in An Giang . Photo: THANH TIEN
“I just hope that the traditional cakes of the Cham people will be known to more tourists through tours. Over the past few years, I have attended many events promoting traditional cakes everywhere. Visitors have come to enjoy and support them enthusiastically, so I am very happy! I just hope that the State will continue to support those who follow the traditional cake making profession to have the opportunity to participate in serving tours to improve their lives,” Ms. Rofiah hopes.
Not only artisan Rofiah, many other individuals are also actively introducing Cham cakes to diners inside and outside the province. Growing up in Khanh Hoa Cham village, My Duc commune, Rohimah is one of the few Cham women of the 8X generation who are attached to the traditional cake of their people.
“Previously, most Kinh people did not know much about the traditional cakes of the Cham people. Therefore, I want to introduce them for everyone to enjoy. There are dozens of types of cakes made by Cham women from simple ingredients, but the flavor is very delicious. If linked to tourism activities, the traditional cake making profession of the Cham people will certainly develop better,” Ms. Rohimah shared.
Deputy Director of the Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Le Trung Hieu informed that the unit has introduced many partners, travel and tourism companies to An Giang to carry out tours and routes on culture and cuisine, including traditional cakes of the Cham people in recent years and achieved positive results.
“We will continue to promote the cuisine with traditional cakes of the Cham people to preserve and develop the unique cultural fragment of the An Giang river region. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to have the participation and support of all levels, sectors and the Cham community in An Giang, in order to create unique tourism products of the land at the headwaters of the nine branches of the Mekong River,” Mr. Le Trung Hieu analyzed.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/thom-ngon-chiec-banh-lang-cham-a425747.html
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