Preserving the flavor of can wine

In the colorful mosaic of ethnic groups across the S-shaped land, can wine (jar wine) stands out as a distinctive cultural symbol of mountainous ethnic minorities. In the Southeast region, a land where long-established local residents converge with migrant communities through the course of history, can wine is not only a beverage but also a bridge connecting the past and the present, a link of cultural exchange among ethnic groups.

From Loc Quang commune to the core area of Bu Gia Map and even the legendary Bom Bo hamlet, the yeast aroma of can wine is telling different stories about the enduring vitality of identity.

Thai ethnic group’s can wine in Loc Quang - “Lau xa” and nostalgia for the motherland of Thanh Hoa

A unique feature in the can wine-making process of the Thai ethnic people in Loc Quang is that they do not use forest tree bark as yeast like neighboring ethnic groups. Instead, they use four precious types of leaves: khuong leaves, nhanh leaves, pau leaves and wild betel leaves. These species of plants are not naturally available in the South but were brought by Thai ethnic migrants who carried seedlings and cuttings from their homeland in Thanh Hoa to grow in their home gardens.

Ha Thi Doan (residing in Hiep Hoan A hamlet, Loc Quang commune), a Thai artisan of can wine, shared: “Selecting leaves is a ritual that requires deep understanding of nature and has been passed down from grandparents and parents. Leaves must be picked when mature, with enough astringency and essential oils. If young leaves are picked, the wine will turn sour, pale in color and cannot be preserved long. This is not only a technique of leaf selection, but also a demonstration of respect for the heritage handed down by ancestors as a family secret.”

In Thai ethnic group’s belief, yeast is the “heart” of the wine jar. Only good yeast makes strong wine, and drinkers become intoxicated with affection. After pounding the leaves and red ginger roots into a paste, the mixture is shaped into round balls. Drying the yeast is when the artisan’s skill is tested. The yeast must be sun-dried for exactly three days in dry weather conditions.

The family of Vi Van Thach is among the few Thai households in Loc Quang commune preserving the traditional craft of can wine making. Photo: Thu Ha

Artisan Vi Van Thach, known as “Bo Thach,” whose can wine product has achieved quality of One Commune, One Product (OCOP) program, said: “Just by looking at the color of the yeast ball, one knows whether the ‘soul’ of the wine is good or not. A standard yeast ball must turn ivory white or light brown, emitting a gentle herbal aroma of the forest. If it turns black, Thai ethnic people firmly discard it, as they believe it is a sign of bad luck and poor wine quality. ‘Lau xa’ wine is fermented from cooked glutinous rice, mixed with secret yeast and stored in earthen jars covered with dried banana leaves. After more than one month of fermentation, the wine reaches maturity, giving a pure sweet aftertaste that captivates visitors from afar.”

Thai’s can wine differs from that of other ethnic groups in that it uses fresh leaves instead of forest bark. Glutinous rice is cooked, mixed with yeast and fermented in earthen jars for over a month before drinking.

Nguyen Van Ha, Chairman of the Farmers’ Association of Loc Quang commune, said: “The commune Farmers’ Association and local authorities are supporting residents with loans and displaying products at major conferences to introduce the flavor of can wine to international friends and visitors”.

Can wine of Thai, M’nong or Stieng ethnic people in today’s Dong Nai all share one common point - the essence of diligent labor and respect for nature.

M’nong can wine in Bu Gia Map - the flavor of the old forests

Leaving the Thai ethnic group’s area in Loc Quang commune, the journey takes us to Bu Gia Map commune, a long-standing residence of M’nong and S’tieng people associated with Bu Gia Map National Park forest. If Thai ethnic group’s can wine carries the elegance of lowland areas, M’nong can wine bears the wild, powerful character of the deep forest core.

The process of making a jar of M’nong can wine begins with going into the forest to collect leaves - one of the most laborious steps. Forest leaves are crucial ingredients determining the distinctive flavor of the wine. There are two types of leaves used, one from woody plants and the other from shrubs. Woody leaves bring a bittersweet taste, while shrub leaves give a mild sweetness. Finding and picking leaves requires the artisan’s finesse and long experience.

Thi Lien (wearing a hat) in Bu Dot village, Bu Gia Map commune - a M’nong can wine artisan - collects leaves. Photo: Ly Na

Thi Lien, an artisan in Bu Dot village, said: “To have a good jar of wine, leaves must be free of worms, not too young, not too young, not too old, just moderate. Leaves determine the sweetness of the wine. Since I was born, my grandparents had already made it. I followed them to collect leaves. They taught me which leaves could be picked and which could not, and over time, I gradually  learned the craft until now”.

To create the wine’s flavor, yeast is indispensable. Yeast and leaves determine the sweet, salty and bitter tastes. Each ethnic group has its own yeast-making method, giving a unique flavor. M’nong yeast is made by a special formula from unique ingredients such as tree bark, forest roots and rice. Through the skillful hands of M’nong women, yeast is created to ferment with cooked rice and forest leaves. After about one week of fermentation in jars, the wine can be enjoyed. Notably, the longer the wine is fermented, the better it tastes, and once the jar is opened, it must be consumed immediately.

Alongside the strong wine jars are the quiet concerns in the story of preserving the craft among M’nong artisans. Currently, the number of M’nong households in Bu Gia Map still retaining the traditional yeast-making techniques can be counted on one hand. Thi Py Ot (Lien’s mother) in Bu Dot village confided: “I really hope my children and grandchildren will maintain the craft. Even if there is only one person left, it must be preserved; if there are two, it must still be preserved; children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, from one generation to the next, it must continue forever.”

In the coming time, to develop M’nong can wine products in Bu Gia Map, local authorities have oriented the preservation of cultural identity associated with tourism products, aiming to build M’nong can wine to meet OCOP standards. At the same time, on-site ethnic tourism will be developed, with Lien’s household as a typical traditional cultural experience point, including making and enjoying M’nong can wine for visitors to Bu Gia Map.

S’tieng can wine - national intangible cultural heritage

In Bom Bo commune, S’tieng can wine has gone beyond an ordinary beverage to become a national intangible cultural heritage recognized in 2019. This is a source of pride of the S’tieng ethnic community in the Southeast region.

The biggest difference creating the S’tieng can wine brand lies in the yeast cake made from forest tree bark. S’tieng people do not use leaves but mainly the bark of the “Tom cray nang” tree. Artisans shave the bark, dry it, pound it into powder and mix it with rice flour at a 1:1 ratio. The bark of “Tom cray nang” creates the distinctive bitter, sweet and spicy flavor. When drinking, guests feel an aroma like forest honey, sweet yet powerful, making people “drunk softly and unwilling to leave”.

The S’tieng wine-making process is imbued with legend. When sprinkling yeast into glutinous rice, artisans often recite “incantations” to pray to the yeast spirit, hoping the wine jar will be fragrant and help couples find each other at festivals.

Sharing the spiritual meaning of this drink, Dieu Thi Xia, owner of a Stieng can wine processing facility in Bom Bo, said: “In S’tieng culture, if a festival has no can wine, it is no longer a festival. When guests visit a house, S’tieng people value guests and cherish bonds of brotherhood, so they bring out a jar of can wine to treat them.” Especially in wedding rituals, can wine plays the role of a “storyteller”.

The flavor of can wine of ethnic groups in the Southeast is not only the taste of leaf yeast, tree bark or glutinous rice. It carries the taste of history, connection and ethnic pride. To keep the forest yeast fragrant forever, the joint efforts of the whole community are needed, from providing economic support to artisans to promoting this cultural essence to the world.

By Thu Ha – Translated by Diec Quyen, Thu Ha