Visit Tú Lệ Once a Year to Admire Terraced Fields and Witness Locals Crafting Com

Every September, as the golden hues of autumn cover the milky rice paddies, and the terraced fields enter the season of ripening rice, the people of Tú Lệ in Văn Chấn district, Yên Bái, eagerly prepare for the unique com-making season.

Visit Tú Lệ Once a Year to Admire Terraced Fields and Witness Locals Crafting Com

When Yên Bái is mentioned, most people immediately think of experiences like witnessing the golden season in Mù Cang Chải, visiting the terraced fields in La Pán Tẩn, Chế Cu Nha, or enjoying the exhilarating kite festival at Khau Phạ Pass. However, there's another hidden gem that few know about when visiting this region during the rice harvest season – exploring Tú Lệ, breathing in the aroma of freshly harvested rice, and savoring the fragrant, chewy com grains that are only available in autumn.

“Throughout the year, the people of Tú Lệ eagerly await the arrival of autumn to make com”

Tú Lệ commune is about 60km from Mù Cang Chải town, along the road towards Nghĩa Lộ. As soon as you start smelling the fragrant scent of young com and hear the rhythmic pounding of pestles on both sides of the road, you know you've arrived at Tú Lệ!

'As com is made from young rice, Tú Lệ residents can only produce it in the autumn – around September and October,' said Chị Thao from Nà Lóng hamlet, expertly wrapping com for us. She described this time as the liveliest period in every village, where households enthusiastically prepare delicious com batches. From the elderly to the youth and the little ones, everyone eagerly anticipates the arrival of a new com season.

Com is sold at a reasonably low price, only 10,000 VND per 100 grams. Chị Thao mentioned that while the economic value of com may not be substantial, its spiritual value is immeasurable. Every time a tourist stops by, not only do they purchase sticky rice, but they also buy com as a gift. Chị Thao feels joyous knowing that there will be one more person, or two, or three, enjoying the laboriously crafted com within the village.

What's even more fulfilling is when someone returns the following year just to savor the freshly made com in this serene environment. Chị shared a story about a foreign tourist currently living in Đà Nẵng who has been coming back to Tú Lệ for the past three years. Despite speaking Vietnamese in a somewhat endearing manner, he insisted, 'You have to eat Tú Lệ com in Tú Lệ, right when the locals finish making it – that's when it's the best!'. Just one person like him brings immense joy to Chị and the people of Tú Lệ, as they appreciate someone who loves and values their homemade com.

For the residents of Tú Lệ, com is not just a specialty; it has become a cultural symbol. The children here grow up in the rice fields and the gentle aroma of com. The elderly consider com a realm of the purest memories that they want to preserve throughout their lives. The younger generation here cherishes each grain of com as a source of pride for the entire hamlet.

Com here is exceptionally unique! Perhaps that's why they make com with a wholehearted dedication, extremely meticulous and skillful in every step.

'Making com is not a hurried process; it requires extreme care and precision in every step.'

We've all tasted com, enjoyed its flavors, and inhaled the comforting aroma of freshly harvested com in the autumn breeze. Yet, not everyone knows that com is the result of an incredibly meticulous and careful process.

To create those vibrant, chewy, thin, and fragrant green com grains, the Thai ethnic people here have to put in a great deal of effort and skill.

From the early morning, villagers venture into the fields to select rice ears still milky and in the bending stage, swiftly using their sickles to ensure they can make a full batch of com in a day. Notably, the rice, once harvested, must be turned into com immediately to preserve its freshness and vibrant green color. “Never let the rice wait for you, or the com won't be as delicious,” laughed Chị Thao.

The process of making com involves careful selection. The rice used for com must be carefully husked, sieved to remove husks and tiny rice grains, soaked in water, and then roasted in a pan.

According to the locals, the roasting process is the most crucial. The com is roasted over a low flame using wood instead of coal. The cast-iron pan ensures that each com grain, once roasted, remains soft, chewy, and delicious. Com needs to be roasted in a gentle fire, constantly turned to ensure even heating, achieving a specific delightful fragrance without becoming too crispy or burnt.

After each batch of com comes out of the oven, the women continue to use a sieve to select the most beautiful green com grains. They then wrap them in dong leaves to preserve the fragrance, ensuring the com remains truly chewy. Thus, every day of the autumn season, from early morning to late afternoon, the people of Tú Lệ complete a fresh batch of com.

After each batch of com comes out of the oven, women continue to use a sieve to select the most beautiful green com grains. They then wrap them in dong leaves to preserve the fragrance, ensuring the com remains truly chewy. Thus, every day of the autumn season, from early morning to late afternoon, the people of Tú Lệ complete a fresh batch of com.

According to scientists, despite being a glutinous rice variety, the delicious aroma of Tú Lệ sticky rice is attributed to the cool year-round climate and significant day-night temperature differences, allowing the rice plants to accumulate high energy levels. It is precisely this reason that com here has a distinctive and delightful flavor compared to com from other regions.

Indulging in freshly roasted com right in Tú Lệ – you are guaranteed an unforgettable experience for the autumn season.

Com remains one of the fragrant gifts of young rice every autumn. However, not everyone pays attention to how to enjoy com properly. With com, perhaps it's best to savor it gently, slowly, and with a touch of understanding, making the experience even more exquisite.

Tú Lệ com is sifted from the essence of the land and sky, combined with the simple and rustic nature of the ethnic Thai people in the Northwest. Therefore, the com here is a unique specialty that anyone passing through this Tú Lệ land wants to linger, chat with the locals, observe and understand the com-making process, select packages of com for enjoyment and purchase as gifts, with the joy of bringing a bit of the Northwest autumn flavor home.

As per Young Intellectuals

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Reference: Travel Guide on Mytour