(GLO)- The Jrai people in Krong Pa district (Gia Lai province) call the giang leaf plant hla dang. This climbing plant has the characteristic of growing greener in hot weather. Perhaps that is why in this "fire pan" land, giang leaves grow wild everywhere and are used by the locals in their cuisine to create unique delicious dishes.
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The Jrai people in Krong Pa call giang leaves hla dang, which grow wild everywhere in the "fire pan" land. Photo: MC |
Mr. Ksor Phong (Ju hamlet, Krong Nang commune) has been a fisherman on the Krong Nang river for many years. Taking us through the hot fields under the dry season sun to the ruins of Bang Keng, on the way, he pointed out to us the fresh sour-tasting vines. Occasionally, he reached out to pick a handful of giang leaves and put them in his mouth to chew, saying "to quench his thirst".
There were days when he only caught a few white fish, not enough for his wife to sell at the market. He often picked a handful of giang leaves to cook a pot of sour soup with a few green chillies, and the whole family had a delicious meal. In the middle of a scorching hot land, a bowl of giang leaf soup was refreshing and sometimes a lifesaver.
Living in a land with a harsh climate and year-round heat, the Jrai people in the lower Ba River of course have a lot of experience adapting to their daily food and drinks.
Village elder Kpa Pryt (Ia Rnho hamlet, Dat Bang commune) said: During the resistance war against America, people had to retreat deep into the mountains and forests to avoid enemy raids. Some people lost in the forest were saved from thirst thanks to the giang leaf plant.
According to Mr. Pryt, people often use wild banana stems to quench their thirst, but in years of severe drought, wild banana trees become rare. If you get lost in the forest for many days without eating giang leaves to fight your thirst, you will be in danger. Or when the village has a festival, after a drunken stupor, a bowl of giang leaf soup helps the drunk person sober up, cool down, and recover quickly.
Mr. Kpa Pual (Phu Tuc town) said: The roselle tree is a part of the childhood memories of many generations of Jrai people. He said the fruit of this tree is also a very interesting snack of childhood. The fruit has a sour taste and is eaten with salt and chili.
“The leaves of the Giang tree are cool and have a cooling effect, so the Jrai people use them in many dishes to adapt to the harsh climate in this region. In addition to cooking sour soup, Giang leaves are pounded with papaya and some spices to make Ca xoc, a very famous dish in the Krong Pa region. The leaves of this tree also have a detoxifying effect. If you eat a strange fruit, you can use Giang leaves to pound and drink the juice to detoxify,” said Mr. Pual.
Someone concluded that sour food saves people's appetite after an excess of salt and fat. Sour taste strongly stimulates the taste buds and therefore sour dishes are constantly exploited and created to enrich the culinary world.
That's why at Vuon Mai restaurant (Nguyen Viet Xuan street, Pleiku city), chicken hotpot with giang leaves is one of the best-selling dishes from the day it opened until now.
Sour is one of the six basic tastes (salty, sweet, spicy, bitter, astringent, sour). Each taste has a different effect on the body. The kitchen of Vietnamese families in general, and the Jrai Krong Pa people in particular, often has enough flavors not only for eating but also for health.
Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/nguoi-jrai-voi-am-thuc-tu-mon-la-giang-post290891.html
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