Honoring sun-dried rice paper

On the evening of April 6th, at the Trang Bang District Stadium ( Tay Ninh province ), the Provincial People's Committee officially inaugurated the Trang Bang Sun-Dried Rice Paper Festival.

Ms. Pham Thi Duong (57 years old, residing in Loc Du Hamlet, Trang Bang Town, Tay Ninh Province) making sun-dried rice paper - Photo: Giang Phuong

On this occasion, Tay Ninh province also officially announced the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognizing the craft of making sun-dried rice paper in Trang Bang as a national intangible cultural heritage.

According to Mr. Duong Van Phong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tay Ninh province, the craft of making sun-dried rice paper in Trang Bang, along with its unique flavor, has been passed down in Tay Ninh for over a century and continues to develop. The image of sun-dried rice paper and the delicious dishes that accompany it has made Trang Bang known to many people both domestically and internationally.

It's not just food.

The Trang Bang Sun-Dried Rice Paper Festival, held from April 6th to 12th, featured approximately 180 stalls showcasing local cuisine , commerce, and tourism. Besides the main product, sun-dried rice paper, there were dozens of other types of rice paper available, such as regular rice paper, export-quality rice paper, grilled rice paper, milk rice paper, chili-salt rice paper, sesame rice paper, broken rice paper, and many other dishes that have become specialties of Tay Ninh province.

Mr. Phong emphasized that sun-dried rice paper is not just a dish, but a very unique and distinctive aspect of culinary culture. "The craft of making sun-dried rice paper itself reflects human creativity in culinary culture. From the methods used to produce delicious rice paper, it shows the meticulousness and attention to detail of the artisans in using ingredients and processing techniques, especially requiring highly skilled artisans," Mr. Phong explained.

Commenting further, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Ngoc, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, shared: "This is the first time the province has organized the Trang Bang Sun-Dried Rice Paper Festival, so we have very high expectations. This is also an opportunity to honor the long-standing sun-dried rice paper making craft, which has a brand name both domestically and internationally, and today is officially recognized as a cultural heritage. Previously, a foreign news agency filmed about the Trang Bang sun-dried rice paper making craft. They were very interested because the craft has a relatively long history and, especially, its flavor is unlike any other type of rice paper."

In July 2008, ZPZ Media (USA) brought a film crew to Trang Bang to create a program about world food culture, introducing Trang Bang sun-dried rice paper, which was broadcast on PBS and National Geographic channels in the US.

Rice paper is left to dry in the dew.

Three generations of making rice paper.

We arrived at the home of Mr. Le Van Chau (43 years old, residing in Loc Du Hamlet, Trang Bang Town, Trang Bang District, Tay Ninh Province) when his whole family was busy making rice paper. His wife, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thanh, sat by the stove, scooping batter onto the steamer rack, stirring it evenly with a coconut shell ladle before spreading it onto the steamer tray. At the back of the house, Mr. Chau arranged the trays of rice paper that Mrs. Thanh had just finished making and put them out to dry.

Mr. Chau's family is one of the few families in Loc Du that has continued the tradition of making Trang Bang sun-dried rice paper by hand for three generations. Mr. Chau recounts that he has seen his ancestors making rice paper since he was a child. He has been in the business for over 23 years since inheriting the trade from his parents.

According to Ms. Thanh, making delicious rice paper requires many steps, from making the flour, selecting good quality rice, then cleaning and washing the rice, and soaking it for 6-7 hours before grinding it into flour. When mixing the flour, a sufficient amount of salt must be added to make the rice paper soft, white, and chewy. When making the rice paper, the water must be boiling hot, and a smooth coconut shell ladle must be used to spread the batter. The rice paper is spread in two layers, but they must be thin enough, then covered with a bamboo lid for 30 seconds and placed on a drying rack. Now it is dried from early morning until 10 am. Once dry, the rice paper is removed from the rack and grilled over hot coals. Grilling requires skill and the technique of turning the rice paper continuously, otherwise it will burn.

From night until dawn is the "golden time" for drying the baked rice paper sheets. Depending on the weather, people dry the rice paper sheets for about 1-2 hours before pressing them, trimming the edges, and wrapping them to maintain their soft, fluffy, and chewy texture.

One of the families that has "kept the craft alive" the longest is that of Ms. Xi Thi Be Huynh (49 years old, residing in Gia Huynh hamlet, Gia Loc commune, Trang Bang district). Ms. Huynh proudly said: "Because this is a traditional family craft that has been around for nearly half a century, we can't abandon it. Many foreigners come to my house to try the rice paper, praise its deliciousness, and then buy it to take back to their countries."

A unique Vietnamese dish.

Many nations around the world cultivate rice as their staple food, but only the Vietnamese people have come up with the idea of processing rice flour to make rice paper.

Rice paper is produced throughout all three regions of Vietnam, mainly as a snack or light meal. People in the northern provinces have a dish called "banh da" (rice paper) cooked with freshwater fish. The thick rice paper, coated with white sesame seeds and grilled over charcoal until crispy and fragrant, is served with chicken salad at ancestral worship ceremonies and feasts in central Vietnam, becoming an indispensable appetizer.

Rice paper is a staple in meals for guests and family gatherings throughout all three regions of Vietnam. People spread or dip the rice paper in water to soften it. Then, fresh vegetables, steamed fish, boiled pork, peeled shrimp, and even vermicelli noodles are placed inside and rolled up. Depending on taste, the rolled rice paper is dipped in a sauce made with fish sauce, chili, and garlic, or a mixture of fish sauce, chili, and garlic, or a paste made from ground soybeans.

In the past, when King Quang Trung marched north to fight the invading Qing army, he had his soldiers eat rice paper crackers along the way to ensure they always had enough energy to continue marching even after meals. Unable to cook rice in front of the enemy, my mother secretly buried a pile of rice paper crackers in a deep cellar so that my father and I could have something to eat, giving us the strength to hold our ground and defend our village through the arduous days of war. These simple rice paper crackers contributed to miraculous victories.

There is a Vietnamese rice paper culture, a culture that is both profound and yet very close to every life, rooted in the rice-farming civilization of the East. Society may progress and move further forward, but the rice paper will remain, for future generations, and no other food item can replace it.

Vu Duc Sao Bien

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vinh-danh-banh-trang-phoi-suong-185551795.htm