This September, autumn is palpable everywhere in Hanoï: colors become paler, leaves of certain tree species turn ocher yellow, the scent of alstonia flowers invades the streets, and the "vent roux" (cool, dry wind from the northwest) delicately caresses the face, making the lush vegetation shiver. With the arrival of autumn, Hanoïans include a very special snack in their menu: côm. An ancestral habit.

 

In Hanoï, côm is sold almost everywhere: in the streets, markets... The husked and pounded green rice grains are placed in a woven bamboo basket, on which large fresh lotus leaves are previously arranged. Depending on the customer's order, the seller wraps a quantity - often 100 grams, 200 grams... and up to a kilo - in the middle of a fresh lotus leaf in the form of a square package tied with rice straw strands.

The best season for tasting Mrs. Lân has been selling côm for ten years at 72 Trân Xuân Soan Street. She confides that this September, her business is flourishing: "There is no better season than autumn for +côm+, which exudes all its scents and flavors. The explanation is simple: the sticky rice grains are processed at the right time, which allows extracting their quintessence. Every day, I sell ten kilos. The 200 or 500-gram packages are the most requested by my customers." 

 

Côm is primarily served as a daily snack. On the manner and art of tasting it, anthropologist Huu Ngoc described in his article Le côm, written in May 1998 and featured in the book À la découverte de la culture vietnamienne: "...With a tender green color and a light fragrance, it is eaten as is and has a delicious flavor, especially when chewed slowly. Côm is enjoyed alone or with red persimmons or ripe bananas."

Côm can be transformed into several dishes according to different recipes by incorporating several other ingredients (sugar, mung bean paste, pork, etc.). It can be made into compote, ice cream, stuffed bread, or pancakes. A millennial savoir-faire.

Côm is produced in several villages in the suburbs of Hanoï, the most renowned being Vong. An old folk song praises the reputation of côm from this locality: Côm Vòng, gạo tám Mễ Trì

Tương Bần, húng Láng còn gì ngon hơn?

(Côm from Vòng, fragrant rice from Mễ Trì,

Soy sauce from Bần, mint from Láng. What could be better in this world?)

Originally from this village, Mrs. Lân has become a master in the art of preparing this snack, from harvesting to packaging. According to her explanations, harvesting must be done as soon as the rice ears begin to ripen. The grains whose husks are still green are winnowed to remove hollow grains and keep only the best ones. These are washed and left to dry before being roasted in a cast-iron pan over a charcoal stove for about two hours.

Once slightly cooled, they are then pounded in a mortar to be husked. During pounding, the goal is to gradually remove the husks until truly cohesive grains are obtained. The finished product must be wrapped - often in fresh lotus leaves - so that it does not dry out and lose its green color. The fragrance of côm and that of fresh lotus leaves blend well, giving the particular flavor of côm from Hanoï.

Hanoïans consider it a specialty not to be missed in autumn and a special gift. "The best gift a Hanoïan can send to a compatriot residing abroad is a packet of fresh +côm+ wrapped in a lotus leaf with a slightly pungent fragrance," wrote Huu Ngoc in Le côm.

Source: Le courrier du Vietnam

Photo: Internet

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