(Baonghean.vn) - The water-powered rice pounding mortar of Ms. Luong Thi Luyen's family on the top of Khe Pong mountain in Coi village (Tuong Duong) is a unique product of the Thai people in the Western region of Nghe An.The mortar has been kept by Ms. Luyen's family for decades and until now it still regularly pounds rice for her family.
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| When there was no electricity, many Thai ethnic households created this mortar to pound rice and save energy. |
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| The back of the pestle is hollowed out to hold water. When full of water, the shaft and pestle will be lifted up. |
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| And the front pestle is lifted up to pound into the mortar. The water-powered mortar helps people save energy and time, especially in areas far from villages and commune centers. |
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| The top of the mortar is padded with a piece of wood to balance the mortar. |
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| A small bamboo stick is tied to the top of the mortar to make noise to scare away the chickens. The mortar is carefully covered so that the homeowner can do other things and avoid the rice in the mortar from being thrown out. |
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| After the rice is pounded, the homeowner uses a small pole to gently prop up the mortar to take the rice out of the mortar. |
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| The Thai people love to use rice pounded in mortars. They use the husks and bran to make rice wine and to feed pigs. |
Ho Phuong
