When autumn comes, Hanoians everywhere always remember the special taste of "com" (green sticky rice) which originates from Vong Village, about five kilometres to the west of the city centre.

"Com" is a special gift from the soil made by hard-working peasants, holding a simple and fresh fragrance.

"Com" is often eaten by hand, directly from the lotus leaves, a pinch at a time and chewed slowly to fully appreciate the flavour. It can also be eaten with persimmons or bananas or used as the ingredient for "banh com" (com cake), "che com" (sugary soup with com), "cha com" (pie made of pork and com) among which, "banh com" is the most well-known as it is used at almost every engagement ceremony.

The cakes are wrapped with bananas leaves into squares, tied with a red string and stamped on the outside with a Chinese character meaning "double happiness". With these characteristics, "banh com" is believed to be a symbol of steadfast and eternal love. To those who have ever been involved in farming, eating "com" often reminds them of a fresh and fragrant paddy.

Rice growing farmers are the only ones who truly understand when it is time to gather young grains to make "com". The young grains are formed after rice plants developing their ears. It takes two or three weeks to form the right shape and when they reach the best time the young rice grains are harvested, roasted and ground down to become "com".

The young rice grains are put into a large firing pan on small flames and stirred slowly for a specific period of time. They are then poured into a rice mortar and slightly pounded with a wooden pestle, rhythmically and at quick intervals until the husk is removed.

Following this, the young rice is removed from the mortar and winnowed before being poured again into the mortar and the process repeated. This is then repeated exactly seven times so that all the husk is removed from the young sticky grains. If the pounding is done irregularly and in haste, or it is not repeated seven times, the green colour of the grains will disappear and be replaced by an unexpected brown colour. Then the whole process will have been to no avail because customers will refuse to buy such produce. This should go some way to explaining exactly how difficult the whole process of "com" making is.

Visitors to Ha Noi during the "com" making season are invited to go to Vong Village where they will have a chance to listen to the special rhythmic pounding of wooden pestles against mortars filled with young rice and see women shifting and winnowing the pounded young rice.

Nowadays, thanks to convenient means of transport, many Hanoians send Vong Village "com" to their relatives in other parts of the country, and even abroad, as a special gift. By this way, the delicious taste of "com" always stays in the hearts of Hanoians wherever they live.

Source: VNA