Travel to Sapa and visit the village of H’mong people, you will have a chance to enjoy unique dishes made from corn as local people here consider corn as their major staple. Resourceful H’mong women in Sapa know how to cook a lot of delicious and attractive cuisine from this type of grain
1. “Mèn Mén”
One of the most popular and typical dishes of H’mong is “mèn mén” which is made from local maize, not only flexible but also very fragrant. To make “mèn mén”, H’mong people have to follow a picky recipe with various steps. After being harvested, corn will be separated from the cob, then grinded and screened to remove big corn kernels and shells. In the past, most of H’mong family used stone grinders to grind corn by hand so this step used to take a lot of time. H’mong women mix cornmeal with a little water and then beat this mixture before cook it in a pan. Cooked “Mèn mén” has a very special sweet flavor and often served with soups such as bone broth and pumpkin soup. North Vietnam tours
2. H’mong corn tortillas
H’mong people in Sapa often use corn as a main ingredient for making an attractive kind of cake named corn tortillas “pá páo cừ”. H’mong special tortillas are mostly made from glutinous corn which has a pleasant fragrance. Depending on the own preference of each person, in addition to cornmeal, local people might also add a little bit molasses or honey so that the cake is sweet and has aroma of young corn. Tours in Vietnam
3. Hmong corn liquor
It is probable that the most attractive dish to H’Mong men is corn liquor. Most of H’mong people in Sapa use corn as the main ingredient for making wine but the most famous corn liquor are Ban Pho and Bac Ha corn liquor. H’mong people often use local maize varieties for the maturation. Thanks to the combination between unique flavor of local corn and special liquor yeast together with the traditional technique of H’mong people, Hmong corn liquor is very delicious. It is a drink used daily by H’mong people and indispensable part of special occasions
Corn is a very important crop in the daily life of H’mong people so if you have a chance to visit Sapa, do not forget to enjoy unique dishes made from corn to discover a part of their culture
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