Com has a pure emerald green colour and faint flavour of young rice (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Autumn has arrived in Hanoi with gentlebreezes tenderly penetrating street corners, replacing thesummer heat and scattering bunches of yellow leaves on the pavements.
It is also time for women from Vong village in Dich Vong ward, Cau Giay districtto produce and sell their com (green sticky rice) - oneof the capital city’s culinary specialities.
For most Hanoians, com and its related products made in Vongvillage are among the capital’s most important flavours of autumn, packedfull of nostalgia. It is a symbol of gastronomy and elegance due to its asignature colour, flexibility and flavour which com fromnowhere else can compete with.
The delicate but fragrant green grains reflect the labour, love andpassion of the rice growers and com producers. Itseems to be able to deposit the essence of the earth, the heavens, the scent ofsunshine and wind.
Many have said staying in the capital without savouring com wouldbe a major shortcoming of a Hanoi experience.
Legend has it that one autumn a thousand years ago when farmers in Vong villagewere going to harvest their sticky rice, a storm came and caused huge damage tothe crops.
The villagers tried to pick the remaining green rice from the storm-tornpaddy fields and brought it home to stir fry.
The rice became a newly-invented dish and had helped them survive through harddays. Through generations, locals added more skills during the processingof com until they found it tasted so good that iteventually became more perfect and even went beyond the village to win thefavour of all the citizens.
Ever since then, villagers have made com every autumn when thegreen rice is ready to harvest.
To make com, villagers work hard from about 5am to pick greensticky rice jewelled with dew.
Skill and hard work are needed to make authentic com flat,lime-green, chewy, sticky and smell pleasant like the scent of green rice, somany of the makers have to learn how to make com from avery young age.
The speciality is sold by street vendors or in shops. It can also be found onthe breakfast or buffet menu of many hotels in Hanoi.
There are also com cakes - a Vietnamese must-have forhappy occasions, including weddings and the Lunar New Year./.
VNA
