1General overview of Bac Ha corn wine
Along with San Lung wine and Tao Meo wine, Bac Ha corn wine (or Ban Pho corn wine) is also a famous wine, representing the unique cuisine of the H’Mong and Dao people in the Western mountains. North. It is unclear exactly when Bac Ha corn wine was created, but this wine has been closely associated with the lives of Ban Pho residents for at least the past hundred years.
Each generation here, with great gratitude and responsibility, persistently promotes this cultural identity by building and developing the craft of Bac Ha corn wine. After many years of maintenance and promotion, the reputation of Bac Ha corn wine has reached the lowland guests. This wine has also become a specialty that anyone should try when visiting the Northwest.
For the H’Mong and Dao people in Bac Ha region, this is not simply a type of wine, it is also the quintessence of a brilliant national identity, the proud invention of their ancestors in the old days. reclamation head.
Corn wine has become a familiar drink of Bac Ha people
Cold mornings are a great time to sip some Bac Ha corn wine
Bac Ha corn wine has a clear color like spring water in the highlands, sweet aroma and delicate flavor that is hard to forget. When you sip your lips, the wine touches the tip of your tongue, exploding with a spicy flavor, then at the base of your tongue is a bitter taste and a slightly warm feeling. Finally, after swallowing, the wine will leave the sweet taste of corn at the base. tongue. The subtle change in flavor that happens quickly will certainly surprise and easily make you fall in love.
Made with all the agricultural quintessence from the Bac Ha white highlands, corn wine here especially has high nutritional value from corn seeds and rice. Using corn wine properly will bring you great health benefits.
With high fiber content from corn kernels, corn wine is very beneficial for your digestive system, helps promote metabolism and helps reduce the absorption of LDL cholesterol (the cause of hardening of the blood vessels) for the body. Corn contains iron, which is an essential support in transporting oxygen in the blood, reducing poor circulation. Finally, not to be overlooked is beta-carotene (precursor of vitamin A) which is effective in controlling blood LDL cholesterol levels and enhancing vision.
The elaborate wine-making process helps retain some nutrients from yellow corn
2The wine making process is elaborate
Bac Ha corn wine is made from two main ingredients: Bac Ha yellow corn and yeast from Hong Mi tree seeds.
Among them, Bac Ha yellow corn is an ancient corn variety of the highland H’Mong people. This type of corn is grown on high cliffs, experiencing many weather conditions to grow and develop, so the flavor of this yellow corn is very different from other industrial corn. The taste of corn is sweet and the kernels are very firm and not friable like lowland sticky corn.
Yeast from Hong Mi tree seeds is a familiar winemaking yeast of people in the Northwest. Hong Mi seeds are small, similar in shape to millet seeds but dark brown in color. After picking Hong Mi seeds, puree them into powder, then mix with boiling water and wine, knead them like kneading dumpling dough, then form into flat round cakes to dry in a cool place with little sunlight.
Even the water source used to make wine must be carefully prepared by the people. Water for making wine is taken by people from cliffs, ravines or clear streams flowing throughout the Northwest Highlands. After bringing water back, people will filter it again through layers of thaw, gravel and sand, and finally boil it for processing.
Northwest people often dry corn around their houses after each crop
Hong Mi dried and ready to be ground to make yeast powder
After being rolled into a ball, Hong Mi enamel is ready to be dried in the wind
After picking Hong Mi seeds, puree them into a bowl, then mix with boiling water and wine, knead them like kneading dumpling dough, then form into flat round cakes to dry in a cool place with little sunlight.
After picking, the yellow corn is washed and the seeds are removed. Then put the corn kernels in a large pan to boil over a small and even charcoal fire, the boiling time ranges from 20 – 24 hours depending on each family’s cooking style.
After boiling the corn, take it out to reduce the heat. When the corn is only slightly warm, add the yeast cake and mix it in. Each family will have a different ratio of corn and yeast. After mixing thoroughly, the mixture is incubated in closed containers, placed close to the floor. The usual time for fermentation is 5-6 consecutive days.
Yellow corn is boiled for more than 20 hours to achieve perfect elasticity
After the incubation period, the yeast is distilled in a wooden pot. The better the water used for distillation, the more flavorful the finished wine will be. The cooking fire is a charcoal fire, smoldering and simmering for about 30 minutes so that the wine is distilled and flows out into the bamboo tubes connected to the wooden pot. People often store wine in earthenware jars and store it under the kitchen.
Stage of corn wine distillation of Bac Ha people
Finished Bac Ha corn wine is preserved by people in simple containers
Depending on the source of distilled water and the finished wine, the clarity will vary
3 Ways to enjoy Bac Ha corn wine
Every day you use a small amount (25 – 35 ml) before lunch and dinner about 10 – 15 minutes. In case you have an easy stomachache, you can use it 15 – 30 minutes after meals. Corn wine will help make your digestion easier and increase the absorption of nutrients from meals. With a low and regular daily dose combined with nutritious meals, in just about 1-3 months of maintaining this habit, you will clearly see your health improve.
Although it is effective in preventing cardiovascular disease, if you have a history of cardiovascular disease, you should still limit this drink.
Using corn wine properly will bring unexpected benefits
Thang Co is a famous local dish in the Muong Khuong area. The main ingredients of this unique dish are offal, soft-cooked beef, horse, and pork bones and many herbs. Because of that, this dish will bring a lot of nutritional value to you.
If you stay at a local house, you may be invited to enjoy thang co with Bac Ha corn wine. But you can still enjoy this specialty at restaurants in the Sapa, Bac Ha – Muong Khuong areas.
Thang Co specialties are widely sold at local markets and restaurants
This is a traditional dish of the H’Mong people, always appearing in the kitchens of H’Mong families in Lao Cai and Ha Giang areas. The dish has a rich taste, a fragrant scent, and the meat is low in fat and not at all greasy.
Pork hung in the kitchen, used directly or processed into other dishes, is very suitable to enjoy with the specialty Bac Ha corn wine. The spicy taste of corn wine will enhance the delicious flavor of the meat.
Cooked pork is always present in the kitchens of people in Lao Cai and Ha Giang
Cooked pork is suitable for making snacks with a few glasses of Bac Ha corn wine
4Where to buy delicious Bac Ha corn wine?
Address: Ban Pho 2, Ban Pho Commune, Bac Ha District, Lao Cai.
This is a facility that produces corn wine in a traditional manual way. The corn used for making wine here is corn grown in Lung Phin commune, the water used is pure clean water. Because it is completely handmade, the cooking process at this facility is very elaborate and of course that creates the unique original flavor of this wine.
A handmade corn wine production facility in Ban Pho, Bac Ha district
Location: Bac Ha town, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province.
Time: Every Sunday
Bac Ha market is one of the oldest markets in the Northwest region. A variety of specialties, handicrafts, livestock and poultry are sold here. Here, you can easily find and buy Bac Ha corn wine handmade by the people here. In addition, you can freely interact with the people here because they are very sincere and hospitable.
The bustling scene of the oldest Bac Ha market in Lao Cai
You will easily find specialties at this market, including Bac Ha corn wine
Bac Ha corn wine is not only delicious but also very beautiful, the beauty is mixed in the enthusiasm and appreciation that the people here have for each new batch of wine. Just like that, this type of wine has captivated generations of lowland guests, but do you want to try it once?
