Looking for the royal rice variety

Rice fields in Xuan Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Photo: Phuoc Anh

Carrying sticky rice to the capital

“The body is not as big as a dragon's sticky rice grain/ Two bruised shoulders look strange”- two verses in the diary “Carrying sticky rice to the capital” recorded by “Art scholar” Ninh Viet Giao in the book “Nghe An, land of talent”, lured me to the rice homeland of Yen Thanh. I decided to “make” a random journey, to be filled with feelings about the land and people in this land with the dense cultural features of the rice civilization; and tried to collect old memories and nostalgic stories about the rice variety that once immersed itself in the fate of people…

It is said that the Nguyen Dynasty King once issued an edict that all localities that grew delicious varieties of rice and sticky rice had to submit them to the royal court. After working hard in the sun and rain to “watch” for sticky rice, every year when it was time to harvest, the people of Nghe An had to choose the plump, round, shiny, white and fragrant grains to offer as offerings. When the amount required by the royal court was reached, the villages would elect the strongest young men to carry the sticky rice on their backs as a tribute to the king.

Sticky rice is extremely delicious, but the people who grow it and carry it rarely get to enjoy it. The journey is long, the burden is heavy, the food is poor, and in case of unusual rain, they have to take care of the basket of sticky rice, and the people have to endure. Carrying sticky rice to the capital is a journey of anxiety, worry, and waste of energy, all the hardships of the sun and rain in the fields to grow the pearl of heaven, which makes people's eyes ache, that's why there are these sad verses:“Hurry up and get to the capital/ I will return the basket of sticky rice, I will go back/ The wife sits and cooks le le porridge/ Pitying her husband, his skin pressing on his bones…”.

Mr. Truong Cong Dinh talks with reporters in the rice fields of Xuan Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Photo: Phuoc Anh

The name of the dragon sticky rice has also been interpreted by many people. Some people think that the name dragon sticky rice comes from the fact that this type of sticky rice had to be presented to the king; others think of the shape of the sticky rice: the grains are plump, the top of the grain has a long beard attached tightly like a dragon's beard... I heard that during the harvest season, the dragon sticky rice fields are all in full bloom, the long, slender rice stalks gently tilt, intertwined, looking from afar they look like entwined dragons. The stalk of the dragon sticky rice is longer than other types of sticky rice, the tallest can be up to 1.2m tall, tough and strong, at that time many people also took the stubble to weave roofing sheets.

Not only does it have a special shape that is rarely seen in other types of sticky rice, but it also has a “unique” aroma. Many elders in the rice-growing homeland of Yen Thanh recount that the fragrant dragon sticky rice is so strong that even when passing through a rice field, the scent lingers; whichever family cooks sticky rice or pounded green rice, the whole village knows. Sticky rice is cooked very quickly, and does not even need to be soaked in warm water overnight like most other types of sticky rice. After threshing the rice, wash the rice, drain the water, and then place it in a pot, or cook it directly like cooking rice to have a delicious sticky rice dish. Many skillful mothers and grandmothers also grind dragon sticky rice to make flour to make cakes. Simple cakes such as banh chung, banh vo, banh troi, etc. made from dragon sticky rice seem to enhance the taste buds of those who enjoy them.

Perhaps another thing that makes the dragon sticky rice rare and precious is that although it is delicious, this variety must be grown for a longer period than other varieties, and the yield is not high, so not every household prioritizes growing it. Only households with many workers, many fields, and comfortable economic conditions can devote a part of their area to growing dragon sticky rice, while the rest must be planted with high-yield varieties to meet the needs of a full meal. Later, after the subsidy period and the market economy, the dragon sticky rice variety gradually appeared less and less, then disappeared completely.

Dragon sticky rice is delicious but has low yield, so when the market economy came into force, the dragon sticky rice gradually appeared less and less, then disappeared completely. Photo: Phuoc Anh

Restore the royal rice variety

Hearing me explain my idea of ​​going to find sticky rice, some people told me to remember Xuan Thanh land, some people said "you must go to Do Thanh", and some people said firmly "if you go to find sticky rice without going to Hoa Thanh, how can you find it"... Go to see, to hear, it turns out that sticky rice is not only located in a specific area, but is grown in many fields throughout the communes of Yen Thanh land.

In Hamlet 9, Xuan Thanh Commune, I met Mr. Truong Cong Dinh (born in 1962) - a person who has been in charge of agricultural cooperatives for many years. He said that almost everyone in Yen Thanh from the age of 40, 50 and above knows and has eaten sticky rice and green rice made from dragon sticky rice. "The last time I ate it was more than 20 years ago, there is no other sticky rice that tastes as delicious as dragon sticky rice" - Mr. Dinh recalled. Passionate and concerned about the precious rice variety that was almost extinct, in 2006, Mr. Truong Cong Dinh, then the Chairman of the Xuan Thanh Commune Agricultural Cooperative, happened to hear that in Thai Binh there was a business that still preserved the dragon sticky rice variety, so he took the trouble to travel to the North to find and buy it.

“I met Mr. Tran Manh Bao - General Director of Thai Binh Seed Corporation to present my wishes. This company preserves many rare plant varieties across the country. After that, he gave me some seeds to try planting” - Mr. Dinh said. The seeds he received, Mr. Dinh planted on an area of ​​about 500m2; took care of planting and harvesting, until the harvest only yielded about 3 yen. For many reasons, Mr. Dinh regrets that he has not been able to preserve the purebred dragon sticky rice variety.

Mr. Truong Cong Dinh recounts his journey to find the dragon sticky rice variety. Photo: Phuoc Anh

Restoring the traditional specialty sticky rice variety of Nghe An is not only the wish of Mr. Dinh but also of many people in Yen Thanh rice village, of many scientists who are passionate about rice. In September 2019, scientists at the Center for Application of Science and Technology Advances, Department of Science and Technology implemented the project "Research, restoration and development of the specialty sticky rice variety in Yen Thanh district".

At that time, the project implementers selected dozens of elderly people with a lot of experience in producing sticky rice in the area to survey the typical characteristics of the rice plant, and invited some people to participate in the planting process to monitor and closely evaluate the growth of the plant. Through the research and implementation process, the project has collected data on the specialty sticky rice variety to serve the selection and restoration work; established standards for restoring the variety; successfully selected and restored sticky rice varieties with good yield and good, stable quality; produced over 50-70 kg of super pure sticky rice seeds...

A few years ago, there was some exciting news that a large corporation investing in high-tech agriculture was planning to invest thousands of billions of VND in a high-quality rice growing project in Yen Thanh district, focusing on restoring the rare specialty sticky rice variety. That good news kindled in the hearts of those who love their homeland the hope that one day in the not too distant future, the once-famous sticky rice variety will sprout and bloom again on the vast rice fields of the district. The further hope is that this royal sticky rice variety will become a high-quality commercial product, proudly bringing bumper harvests to the homeland...