VietNamNet Bridge – Khmer, one of the ethnic peoples living in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long, is rich in traditional cultures and crafts. Com dep (flat green rice) is one of the crafts that the Khmer people have made a great effort to preserve and develop,

The festival is held yearly in the 14th and 15th days of the tenth lunar month (Khmer Calendar). It denotes the welcoming of new rice because it is the end of the rainy season and vegetable harvesting. Thus, com dep is symbolic of the traditional cultural features and culinary of Khmer people.

Com dep is made from sticky rice. Three farmers can grind 20 kilograms of sticky rice everyday for a profit of VND100,000. Even though making com dep is not well-paid, the Khmer people continue to make it in an effort to preserve their culture and develop their economy and tourism.

Com dep is not only the main offering of the Ok Ombok festival; it is also an important dish for the Kinh people, Chinese and the Mekong Delta residents as well as the Khmer people. Therefore, the local authorities have supported credit policies to help farmers maintain this traditional craft.

To produce tasty and delicious com dep farmers have to take the rice through three phases: preparation, grinding and processing. The first phase of grinding the harvested and roasted sticky rice is the hardest step. Farmers have to soak the sticky rice in fresh water for 48 hours to 50 hours, then pour it into rice mortar and pound it with a wooden pestle rhythmically and steadily. When the sticky rice becomes glutinous the farmers take the rice out of the mortar and winnow to remove the husk from sticky young grains.

Traditional com dep is mixed with ground coconut and coconut water, salt, sugar and peanuts in some hours until com dep become soft and tasty dish.

Son Thi Huong, a com dep artisan from a family with generations of making com dep has been chosen by local authorities to present this craft in the 4th Southern Khmer people Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho taking place in December 4 to 9.

(Source: SGT)