Come to Con Cuong to enjoy the Thai people's dish 'chin xom'

(Baonghean.vn) - "Chin xom" is the name of the sour meat dish of the Thai people in Con Cuong (Nghe An). This dish is a delicate combination of forest leaves, spices and fresh pork. It is currently a very popular mountain specialty.

Sour meat has now become a specialty of the mountainous district of Con Cuong. Photo: Ba Hau

Just like spreading food on the kitchen shelf or burying it deep in the river or stream, "chin xom" was prepared by the ancient mountain people by fermenting it to preserve food sources during long trips to the forest or when the wild animals they hunted were not eaten all. This method has been passed down by the people to this day.

According to the experience of those who have made "chin xom" for many years, to have a delicious sour meat dish, the step of choosing the meat to process is very important. The meat must be local pork, raised freely or fed rice bran and wild vegetables. The lean shoulder and rump of the pig are thinly sliced, marinated with spices including: garlic, hot chili, pepper, white salt... at a moderate level and then mixed well with rice bran.

Local pork is the main ingredient to make "chin xom". Photo: Minh Hanh

The powder is usually made from sticky rice. The secret to making the dish successful is in roasting the powder. After washing the sticky rice, drain it and roast it until it turns golden brown, then pound it. After mixing the powder so that it sticks evenly to the surface of the meat, put the meat in a plastic bag and wrap it with dong leaves.

According to Ms. Chuong Thi Ha, a sour meat processing specialist in Block 2, Con Cuong town, the above steps are common recipes, however, each family has its own secrets to create a difference in flavor, suitable for the enjoyment needs of diners.

According to Ms. Ha, the meat can be used after 4-5 days of fermentation. In the past, sour meat was fermented in bamboo tubes, but today people also ferment the meat in clean plastic bags and keep it in a place protected from the wind.

Sour meat is preserved in bamboo tubes. Photo: Ba Hau

In addition to serving family meals, many households in Con Cuong district are now also keen on making sour meat for sale. For example, the family of Ms. Chuong Thi Ha, born in the countryside of Binh Chuan commune, which is famous for its tradition of making sour meat in Con Cuong.

Now, after retiring, with the desire to not let the traditional profession be lost, she has built a sour meat making facility at home. Ms. Ha said: "Not everyone can do this job, because it requires secrets that only those who have been processing it for a long time can grasp."

"Chin Xom" is an indispensable dish during holidays and Tet of the Thai people in Con Cuong. Photo: Minh Hanh

In Con Cuong town, a package of sour meat weighing over 2 taels is sold for 60,000 VND. Meat processors said that although the profit is not high, they often prepare this special dish because they want to preserve their ancestors' profession and introduce the culinary culture of the ancient land of Tra Lan to their friends.

Sour meat is often eaten with many kinds of herbs and spices. These are wild perilla (called mu tun by Thai people), lemon leaves, fig leaves, young fig leaves, polyscias fruticosa leaves, Indian laurel leaves... Sour meat is dipped in chili sauce.

With its own characteristics and flavor, sour meat is now a favorite dish of many tourists when coming to Con Cuong./.