Strange taste of Muong people’s brown root salad

The Muong people in the Thanh Son and Tan Son mountainous areas have been deeply attached to nature for thousands of years. The habit of living on the mountain slopes, near small rivers and streams, growing rice at the foot of the mountains, hunting and gathering in the forest, and catching fish and shrimp in streams and river beds... has created favorable conditions for the people here to enjoy the abundant and readily available source of food processing materials in the mountains and forests.

Brown roots have a very good effect in removing fishy odors and are often used by the Muong people in preparing meat and fish salads.

In the rich culinary treasure of the Muong people, besides their preference for preparing sour and bitter dishes such as pickled shallots; pickled cassava leaves; bitter bamboo shoots; papaya leaves, flowers, fruits; spotted vegetables..., the people here also prefer to use a very special type of root with an astringent taste, which is brown roots.

The brown root is a climbing plant; the root grows above ground, the flesh inside is red or yellow, and the outer skin is brown and rough. It has a very good effect of removing fishy odors, helping food retain its original sweetness. Therefore, the Muong people often choose this type of root to prepare meat and fish salads.

Brown root fish salad—one of the unique dishes of the Muong people in Phu Tho.

Mr. Ha Van Quang, Zone 7, Kiet Son Commune, Tan Son District, said: “To prepare brown root salad, depending on the number of people eating, we will prepare enough ingredients. Choose free-range wild boar for pork; stream fish will be white fish or goby; wash clean, cut into pieces about 3-4 cm. As for the meat, we will burn it over a fire to make the skin dry, crispy, and fragrant. Peel the brown root, wash it, then slice and mash it. After preparing the ingredients, put them in a large bowl and mix well. To make the dish delicious and full of flavor, the choice of spices is carefully prepared by the Muong people, including: salt, MSG, Doi seeds, garlic, lemon leaves, perilla leaves, Nhoi leaves".

The Muong people often eat brown root salad with me. The me is ground and cooked over low heat so that it is not too thin; when boiling, it creates a moderate consistency. Depending on preference, diners can eat brown root salad with many different types of leaves (such as fig leaves, perilla leaves, Nhoi leaves, etc.); the sweetness of the meat and the slight astringency of the brown root blend with the sourness of me, creating a very strange and unique rich and fatty flavor.

Brown meat and fish salad is often displayed on a round tray lined with banana leaves along with other foods made from pork, such as boiled intestines, heart, and liver; grilled meat; pomelo leaf sausage; boiled meat... on every occasion of holidays, Tet, festivals, weddings, or moving to a new house. For the Muong people, each dish on the traditional tray has its own characteristics, containing the affection of the people in relation to the land, sky, forest, mountain... and the brown salad is also a unique culinary feature, closely associated with the living habits of the Muong people in Phu Tho.

Nowadays, thanks to the development of community tourism, the unique culinary culture of the Muong people in Phu Tho is also known and enjoyed by many tourists from all over the world, thereby contributing to preserving and spreading the beauty of the culinary culture of ethnic minorities, creating a highlight for community tourism in the Central Highlands.

This season, with cool weather, the Muong people in the highlands of Thanh Son and Tan Son still jokingly tell each other that a meal only needs a little meat, fish, brown salad with a jar of corn wine, and a bowl of hot rice to be so delicious that you will forget the way home!

Dong Nien