The gift that makes up the "tradition" of Kinh Bac afternoon

No one remembers exactly when Mao Dien rice rolls were created. Villagers only say that, since their ancestors, batches of fragrant flour were soaked the previous afternoon, and spread into thin, soft sheets in the early morning. The craft was passed down from mother to sister, and then became a part of the memories of every afternoon in Kinh Bac.

In the past, rice paper was only made by hand. The whole family gathered around the pot of boiling water, the rice paper maker quickly spread the thin layer of dough evenly, lifted the hot rice paper onto the tray without tearing a corner. Making about 20kg a day was considered the best effort. By 2000, to meet the growing demand, some households in the village began to use machines to make rice paper. Mrs. Vu Thi Quyen's family, who has been preserving the profession for more than twenty years, was the same. From the hands used to making each rice paper, her family can now make up to 1 ton of rice paper every day, supplying many markets and many provinces.

Mrs. Vu Thi Quyen's family has been making rice paper for more than 20 years.

Red rice rolls are characterized by a layer of golden fat.

Currently in Mao Dien, there are three types of rice rolls: red rice rolls, white rice rolls, and meat-filled rice rolls. The most typical is still the red rice rolls - a thin layer of rice paper, covered with a streak of golden fat, fragrant with fried onions. In the past, there were only rice rolls and dipping sauce. Nowadays, regular customers like to add a piece of ham to increase the richness and sweetness, making it a typical afternoon snack from Bac Ninh countryside.

The good news spread far and wide, and Mao Dien rice rolls were brought everywhere. For more than three months now, Quang has been driving from Hanoi every day to get rice rolls from Mrs. Quyen’s house to sell on the street. He smiled and said: “My regular customers are addicted to the taste of this red rice cake. Every day there are customers buying, and many days even after selling out, there are still customers asking for it.”

Mao Dien rice rolls have therefore spread far and wide. They are no longer just an afternoon snack for the Kinh Bac people. Now they are carried by buses into the city, to markets, small shops, and then to people who have never set foot in Mao Dien.

To get a good batch of cake, the maker must go through many steps: choose fragrant rice, wash it, soak it for enough time, grind it finely and then filter the flour. After resting, the flour is put into the coating machine, each hot layer of cake is separated, and brushed with scallion oil to bring out the aroma. In all these steps, the most important is still choosing good rice - the "soul" of the cake and the stability of the coating machine.

Mrs. Quyen confided to the steady sound of the machine: “Now the village only has about five households still doing this job. This job is very hard, even though there are machines, we still have to work continuously. We wash the rice at night to sell in the morning, and at noon we wash the rice to sell in the afternoon. The income is not high, so many households have given up the job…”

In the late afternoon, the banh cuon stall becomes a familiar meeting place for the locals here. Eating banh cuon in the afternoon is not only to fill the stomach but also a habit, an afternoon snack associated with the rhythm of life of many generations. No matter how busy they are, the locals here still keep the custom of "buying some afternoon snacks to bring home for the whole family". Therefore, the banh cuon stall is never empty of customers. There are days when the tray of banh cuon is just a little past afternoon and the tray is already empty.

Mao Dien rice rolls are a familiar afternoon treat.

Among those who come to buy every day, there are diners who have considered Mao Dien rice rolls a familiar taste for more than ten years: “I have eaten Mao Dien rice rolls since I was in primary school. The taste has always been the same, every afternoon when I pass by and there are still cakes, I have to buy them. Eating them over and over again becomes a habit, a memory. If I miss the afternoon cake, I feel like my day is not over yet.” - Ms. Diem Quynh shared.

Young people like it because it is delicious. People far from home like it because they miss it. And people in the region keep the profession as if it were a part of their childhood. Because this profession, though as thin as a piece of cake, sticks firmly to people's hearts like the steam from the kitchen seeping into their shirts every morning. And that's right, the cake has existed for a long time not because of the noise, but because it carries within it the story of a patient and quiet craft village, where the hot steam has molded skillful hands, people with a deep love for rice, and a rustic flavor that cannot be mixed.

In an era where everything can be made faster and more conveniently, Mao Dien rice rolls still maintain their slow pace - the pace of those who do not want to lose the soul of the profession. Just one piece of rice roll, dipped in a bowl of clear fish sauce, with fried onions floating, one can feel the sound of the Kinh Bac countryside afternoon falling down, light as a breath but deep as a memory.

Source: https://congluan.vn/thuc-qua-lam-nen-nep-chieu-xu-kinh-bac-10321679.html