Along National Highway 4G through the Ma River, National Highway 37 through Phu Yen, or in the Pa Hop highlands, Chieng Lao commune, stream moss has long become a familiar dish of the Thai, Khang, and La Ha ethnic people.
From simple ingredients in streams, people have skillfully processed them into many unique dishes, contributing to creating a unique culinary identity of the highlands of Son La.
In Song Ma commune - where the Ma River flows through with fresh water, moss is considered the most delicious thanks to its long, young green fibers. People say that moss usually grows at the source, clinging to rocks where the water flows strongly. The moss season lasts from November to about the end of April of the following year, when the water is clear and little rain.
To prepare moss dishes, the cleaning process requires meticulousness. After picking up the moss, impurities are removed, wooden pestles are used to crush and then washed many times under the flowing water to remove sand and gravel but still maintain softness and natural sweetness.
Ms. Vi Thi Dung (Song Ma commune), who has many years of experience in this dish, said that after cleaning, the moss is marinated with salt, mac khen, lemongrass, chili and forest spices. Then wrapped in many layers of banana leaves, incubated in hot ash or clasped bamboo grilled on charcoal for 30 minutes to an hour.
When cooked, the moss has a very characteristic fragrance, a mild sweetness mixed with spices, eating once is memorable," Ms. Dung said.
Ms. Luong Phuong Thao, Han 2 village, Muong Bang commune, shared: "Moss must be carefully chopped and washed clean to be delicious and not mixed with grit. Grilled moss or wrapped banana leaves in ash can be eaten with sticky rice, you will most accurately feel the delicious taste of moss.
From that rustic ingredient, people in the highlands process into many dishes such as moss salad, steamed moss, moss soup with bitter bamboo shoots or stir-fried moss. However, the most attractive is still grilled moss wrapped in banana leaves - a dish imbued with the flavor of the mountains and forests.
Not only appearing in daily meals, stream moss is also an indispensable dish during holidays, Tet, New Year celebrations or when families welcome distinguished guests, showing the respect and hospitality of people in remote areas.
From a long-standing rustic dish, stream moss is being focused on preserving and promoting by local people. In Chieng Lao commune, the Moss Picking Festival is held annually, attracting a large number of people and tourists to participate.
Tourists not only can directly wade through streams to pick moss but also experience processing and enjoying dishes right by the stream bank.
Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, a tourist from Phu Tho, shared: "Grilled moss is very strange and delicious, the first time I tasted it, I found the taste of this dish completely different from the lowlands, especially the aroma of mắc khén.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Vice Chairman of Chieng Lao Commune People's Committee, the organization of the festival not only contributes to preserving local knowledge but also opens up directions for community tourism development and local culinary promotion.
From the streams in the Song Ma, Chieng Lao, Phu Yen, Van Ho areas, stream moss is not only a rustic dish but has become a specialty with cultural value. Amidst the modern pace of life, moss dishes are still preserved, contributing to introducing the image of the highlands of Son La to tourists from near and far.
