Moss season
For people living in mountainous regions, rock moss is nothing unusual. It's actually a popular vegetable. Rock moss typically grows clinging to layers of rocks at the bottom of rivers and large streams.
People in the mountainous regions choose moss that grows in places where the water flows swiftly, looking down to see the vibrant green moss, and then pick it. In places where the water flows swiftly, silt and debris do not accumulate, so the moss is green and clean.
The long, green moss, sometimes as long as an arm's length, is harvested and used as a vegetable dish. However, it's not always available in all seasons. Moss only grows from early autumn until the third lunar month, after which the moss season ends.
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Harvesting moss from rocks on the Nặm Nơn River - Photo: AV(St) |
Preparing this moss dish is somewhat elaborate. You have to select young moss shoots (usually early-season moss), wash them thoroughly, drain the water, then chop them finely and mix them with finely ground rice. Next comes the seasoning process. Besides the usual spices, the indispensable ingredient in cooking with the moss is "mác khén," which tastes like black pepper, hence some people call it "forest pepper spice."
In addition, garlic leaves are also very important. "Mac khen" (a type of spice) and garlic leaves, combined with the unique flavor of rock moss, create an unforgettable dish for the mountain people. It's also a common aroma during evening meals, along with the smoke from thatched-roof kitchens mingling with the mountain mist in autumn.
Mountain people use moss as a special dish in their evening meals, along with sticky rice and wild game meat. It is also a gift exchanged between close neighbors.
Filial families, even after moving out to live independently, often offer their parents packages of cooked moss as a way of showing respect and gratitude to their elders.
Now, returning to the rivers of the mountainous regions, the sand-dredging machines on the gold mining sites have shattered the age-old tranquility of the rivers. As a result, the habitats of crabs and fish, of humans, and of mosses growing on the rocks have been severely affected.
The moss on the rocks is gradually becoming scarce. Its environment has become polluted, contaminated, and devoid of pure minerals, so the moss is no longer fresh and delicious. The villages remain peaceful and tranquil like fairy tales in autumn, yet only occasionally do you see a few people carrying baskets down to the river to harvest moss.
Perhaps it won't be long before rock moss becomes just a memory.
Huu Vi
