Close-up of buffalo pulling a cover to press sugarcane to make molasses in Nghe An countryside
(Baonghean.vn) - Every year when December comes, people in many rural areas in Thanh Chuong district are busy entering the season of pulling bamboo mats and cooking molasses to welcome Tet. The sound of buffalo pulling bamboo mats and the fragrant smell of molasses seem to make Tet even closer.
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| Currently in Thanh Chuong, there are many localities that still maintain the profession of growing sugarcane and cooking molasses, such as Thanh Xuan commune, Thanh Duong commune, Thanh Tien commune... Besides modern pressing machines, some households still use manual pressing. In the photo: Buffalo pulling the sugarcane pressing cover at Mr. Pham Van Hung's family in Kim Son hamlet, Thanh Xuan commune. Photo: Huy Thu |
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The buffalo-powered ox-powered sledges that once played music for the village, which were thought to be only in distant memories, still exist in some rural areas of Thanh Chuong as unique tools. Mr. Pham Van Hung in Kim Son hamlet, Thanh Xuan commune shared: My family has been in the business of growing sugarcane to make molasses for many generations. Nowadays, many households use high-productivity sugarcane presses, but my family still makes use of this old sledge, partly because the amount of sugarcane grown is not much, and partly because we want to preserve a bit of the "old flavor" of the traditional craft. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| The cover is a tool for pressing sugarcane, consisting of two main parts: the cover shaft and the cover umbrella. The cover shaft is two cylindrical steel blocks about 60 cm high with transmission gears standing parallel to each other. The large block is called "hon ong" with horizontal grooves, usually attached to the cover umbrella, which is a long wooden bar. The small block is "hon mu" with vertical grooves. When the buffalo walks around the cover, it will pull the cover shaft to rotate, squeezing the sugarcane juice down to the cover platform and making a gurgling sound. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| On average, a batch of sugarcane must be pressed 6-7 times to get rid of all the water (3 times for initial pressing, 3-4 times for re-pressing). When pressing first, the sugarcane is fed directly into 2 covers, and when pressing again, the sugarcane must be arranged and put into a hole called the "mô hole" so that the sugarcane does not scatter. For each cover to work, at least 3 people are needed (to control the buffalo, supply sugarcane to the cover; receive sugarcane bagasse after pressing). The buffalo driver sometimes also takes on the job of moving the sugarcane bagasse. Photo: Huy Thu |
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Pulling the covers is quite hard work, so the buffaloes pulling the covers must be strong and durable. Every 30 - 45 minutes, when the buffaloes are tired from pulling the covers, they must be replaced promptly. Mr. Nguyen Chan Ly (60 years old) in Kim Son hamlet, Thanh Xuan commune said: "In recent years, my family has not grown sugarcane, but every season of pulling the covers, I often take the buffaloes to help the villagers." Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Feeding sugarcane to the cover must be done evenly. If too much sugarcane is placed in the "mouth hole", it will cause the cover to become clogged and the buffalo will have to stop to fix the cover, which is very time-consuming. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| After being pressed, the sugarcane juice is poured into wooden barrels placed high next to the molasses pans. Once the sediment has settled, the kitchen staff will pour the sugarcane juice into cast iron pans. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Thanh Xuan people use clay ovens with cast iron pans to cook molasses. The ovens are usually dug on high mounds, near shelters to facilitate the movement of sugarcane juice. They use shovels to dig deep into the ground in the shape of a pan, then dig down. Each oven usually has 2-3 pans, corresponding to 2-3 doors for burning firewood and 2-3 air vents at the back. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Mr. Phan Thai Xuan (55 years old) - a resident with many years of experience in making molasses in Thanh Xuan commune said: The most important job when making molasses is to remove all the dirty foam. The dirtier the sugarcane, the more foam there is. At first, the black foam is removed with a net, then gradually turns to white foam and is removed with banana leaves. If the foam is removed carefully, the finished molasses will be bright and beautiful. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| The process of cooking honey lasts for 5 - 6 hours, the person cooking honey must be on duty to "pour the honey", skim off the foam and tend the fire, ensuring the fire in the stove always burns stably. Photo: Huy Thu |
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When the pan of honey is almost dry, boiling, turning the color of the sugarcane and giving off a fragrant aroma, the work of cooking honey is complete. On average, with 1 pan of sugarcane juice, people here can cook 20 kg of honey. The season of pulling the covers to cook honey is bringing income and joy to local people and bringing the sweet taste of Tet to every home: "The sound of the covers is bustling when December comes/The smell of dried sugarcane bagasse fills the way home". Photo: Huy Thu |
| Buffaloes pull covers to press sugarcane to make molasses in Thanh Xuan commune (Thanh Chuong). Video: Huy Thu |
