Young Rice Flake in Hanoi

Published: 08:54 Thursday - October 06, 2016

Young rice flake is one of the most famous specialty food in Hanoi. It only appears in autumn. The 2016 Me Tri Young Rice Flake Culture Day was held on October 2 at 1 Do Duc Duc street, Nam Tu Liem, Ha Noi to promote this specialty.

It featured several com booths where visitors can buy com and its various products including cha com (Vietnamese com sausage), xoi com (sticky rice with com), che com (sweet tapioca soup with com); a com making competition and a small talk which was hosted by Me Tri commune leader and two locals who are experienced in making com.

“Despite long history of com making, locals are facing many difficulties. Among them is the supply of suitable rice to make com, limited markets available to consume com and the fact that com Me Tri is yet known widely like other specialties,” said Chairwoman of Me Tri Commune’s People’s Council Do Thi Xoan.

As urbanisation led to lack of suitable rice to make rice, locals who used to use locally grown rice now have to buy sticky rice from other regions including northern Phu Tho Province, Bac Ninh Town, Soc Son District of Ha Noi, said Xoan.

“We hope that the authorities pay more attention to the village and make it a better known brand”, said Do Huu Hung, a local who has made com for years.

There are currently 155 households with more than 600 people making com today in Me Tri Commune, which accounts for nearly four percent of village population, according to People’s Committee of Me Tri Commune.

Locals produce an average of nearly 600,000 kilograms of com with revenue of more than 75 billion VND (3.4 million USD). Annual income of a com maker is more than 111 million VND, about 2.5 times higher than average income of Me Tri Commune, according to the committee.

Local people first made com in early 19th century. In the old days, the village was well-known for its high quality rice, which was praised by a king in the Ly Dynasty (1010-1225). The king then renamed its original name of Anh Son into Me Tri Commune, which means Pool of Rice.