Muong Kem Tay people's leaf yeast

In the small kitchen in the corner of Muong Kem village, the aroma of yeast cakes mixed with the smell of kitchen smoke makes anyone who enters here not want to leave... That is the characteristic flavor of yeast leaves - the "soul" in each jar of sticky rice wine, which has long been associated with the life of the Tay people.

The Tay people in Muong Kem, Nghia Do commune ( Lao Cai province) have a saying: "Wine is delicious thanks to yeast, people are healthy thanks to medicine". Yeast leaves contain both of these things - it is both the secret to creating the strong flavor of wine and a treasure trove of folk medicine knowledge.

According to the elders, to make a batch of leaf yeast, you have to prepare from 15 to 17 different types of leaves, roots, and barks of forest trees. These can be wild betel leaves, guava bark, doi seeds, wild guava leaves, bitter sugarcane roots, perilla, dried chili, wild chili, Vietnamese coriander... There are many types like that, but the flavor of the "we have" tree is indispensable, it is the soul of the Tay Muong Kem leaf yeast.

Each type has its own uses: creating aroma, helping the fermentation process to take place evenly, or softening the harsh taste of wine, increasing the aroma of meat, removing the fishy smell of fish. All the ingredients used to make leaf yeast are crushed, then soaked in boiled and cooled filtered water, then filtered to get the water, mixed with rice flour and then shaped into small cakes, fermented and dried in the sun.

Mrs. Co Thi Bay, nearly 70 years old, one of the people who still keeps the leaf yeast making profession in Muong Kem village, shared: Leaf yeast cannot be made in a hurry. Each medicinal plant, each type of leaf must be picked in the right season, at the right time. If you pick the wrong one, the yeast will be spoiled, the wine will be bitter, especially if someone comes back from a funeral and makes the yeast, it will not be successful... This profession seems to convey all the life experience and love of the mountains and forests of our Tay people.

The secret of mountain herbs has created the soul of the jars of sticky rice wine in Muong Kem. Sticky rice wine is not only a family drink but also present in most community cultural activities: weddings, new rice celebrations, or simply when the family welcomes distinguished guests. The jar of wine is opened as a warm invitation, a sharing of affection.

Mr. Hoang Hai Ha, Mrs. Bay's son, excitedly said: We young people are now also learning how to make yeast from our grandmothers and mothers. Not only to preserve the profession, but also to develop the economy . Muong Kem fermented sticky rice wine is now sought after by many tourists to bring back as gifts, some people order dozens of liters to take away.

In particular, leaf yeast is also used to make fermented meat and fish - unique dishes in the culinary culture of the Tay people. Fermented meat and fish made from leaf yeast have a unique taste, very delicious, if you eat it once, you will want to eat it again.

Each yeast leaf is not simply an ingredient for brewing wine, marinating meat and fish, but also a thread connecting the past with the present, reminding us of the time when our grandparents went into the forest to pick leaves, collect firewood, and gather bits of indigenous knowledge to create the uniqueness of our national culture.

Notably, at the end of June 2025, the folk knowledge of processing grilled fish, blue-gourd duck and leaf-fermented wine of the Tay people in Nghia Do commune was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

In recent years, along with the development of community tourism in Nghia Do commune, the leaf yeast and the leaf yeast sticky rice wine of the Tay Muong Kem people have received more attention. Some homestays in Nghia Do have organized for tourists to participate in a journey to experience the cultural life in the Tay village, so that visitors can come here to pound leaves, make yeast, brew wine, marinate meat and fish, creating a special attraction.

Mr. Nguyen Van Bon, Head of Muong Kem village, said: We encourage people to preserve traditional knowledge and turn it into a livelihood. If made properly, fermented rice wine is both safe and beneficial for health. This is an advantage to promote the village's image and increase people's income.

In the modern context, when many types of industrial yeast appear, the leaf yeast of the Tay Muong Kem people still holds its own position. That is thanks to the perseverance of Tay women, the “fire keepers” of the kitchen like Mrs. Co Thi Bay who still quietly make yeast, dry it in the sun, and pass it on to their children and grandchildren.

The Tay Muong Kem leaf yeast not only has culinary value but also reflects unique indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants and how to behave in harmony with nature. This is a heritage that needs to be preserved and exploited reasonably to serve sustainable development.

Late afternoon, in Mrs. Co Thi Bay’s wooden kitchen, the yeast cakes spread their fragrance when the last rays of the day still lingered on the bamboo trays. The yeast made from the leaves of the forest not only intoxicates the jars of wine and each dish, but also intoxicates people, because in it there is the soul and identity of the Tay people of Muong Kem - a peaceful village by the clear Nam Luong River, together passing on and preserving the treasures of national culture.

Presented by: Bich Hue

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/men-la-cua-nguoi-tay-muong-kem-post881345.html