S'tiêng tube wine: More than just a drink
For the S'tiêng people in Binh Phuoc province, rượu cần (tube wine, called Đ'rắp S'lung or Rơ nơm Đ'rắp in their language) is more than a beverage. It is a special product deeply tied to their cultural, spiritual, and religious life. During festivals, weddings, housewarmings, or new rice celebrations, the wine jar is always placed in the most solemn position. It serves as a bond connecting the community, expressing sharing and understanding among people. Due to its immense cultural value, the technique of making rượu cần of the S'tiêng people in Binh Phuoc has been listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Two distinctive wines and the secrets behind them
The uniqueness of S'tiêng tube wine lies in two factors: the ingredients and the yeast made from various forest leaves and barks. The S'tiêng people produce two main types of wine, each with its own specific yeast recipe and production process.
Bitter tube wine: From the Hơ Muôn'L bark
Bitter tube wine is made with yeast from the bark of the Hơ Muôn'L tree. The bark is collected from the forest, dried, chopped, and pounded into powder. To enhance the flavor, other types of bark and leaves with mild properties, offering a moderate bitter and astringent taste, can be added. This bark powder is then mixed with powder from glutinous or regular rice that has been soaked and ground into a fine paste, following a specific ratio. This ratio is one of the most important secrets, passed down through generations and dependent on the experience of each maker.
The mixture is kneaded with water, rolled into balls the size of a palm, placed on a tray, and covered with banana leaves. After fermenting for about 2 to 3 days in a draft-free place, a white layer of mold and fungal threads appears on the surface, accompanied by a light aroma, indicating the yeast is ready. The final step is to burn off this mold layer using dried thatch grass, then dry the yeast thoroughly and hang it above the kitchen stove for future use. Hanging the yeast above the stove not only protects it from moisture but also allows it to mature further with the heat and smoke, creating a distinctive flavor.
To cook the fermented rice base, the S'tiêng people collect Prareng leaves from the forest, chop them finely, and use them fresh or dried for storage. The Prareng leaves are mixed with cleaned rice at a ratio of 2kg of leaves to 1kg of rice, then cooked inside bamboo tubes, similar to making cơm lam. Once cooked, the mixture is spread thinly on a tray to cool, then pounded into a fine powder in a mortar. The rice powder is spread on a tray, and the yeast, ground into a fine powder, is sprinkled and mixed evenly. The mixing ratio is 1kg of rice to 1 yeast ball. This is a critical step for the wine's quality: too much yeast makes the wine sour, while too little causes the rice to spoil and not turn into wine.
Sweet tube wine: The perfect combination of K'rai Đăng bark and Ler leaves
Unlike the bitter wine, sweet tube wine uses yeast made from the bark of the K'rai Đăng tree and leaves of the Ler plant. The S'tiêng people have discovered a delicate blending rule: using only K'rai Đăng bark gives the wine an aroma but no sweetness. Conversely, using only Ler leaf powder makes the wine very sweet but lacking its characteristic fragrance. Therefore, they combine both ingredients to create a special yeast, making the wine both sweet and aromatic. The yeast preparation process is similar to that for bitter wine: drying, chopping, pounding into fine powder, mixing with rice powder, and forming into balls.
To cook the rice base for the sweet wine, the S'tiêng people use Mol leaves or K'rai leaves mixed with rice. The subsequent processing steps are similar to those for bitter wine.
Fermentation and the culture of enjoyment
After the rice-yeast mixture is ready, it is placed into a jar (ché). The jar's mouth is firmly packed with dried banana leaves and then sealed with beeswax or a thick paste made from ash and water. The minimum fermentation time for sweet wine is 20 days. The S'tiêng believe that the longer the wine ferments, the stronger its aroma and the richer its sweet taste.
When the village holds a festival or a family has an important event, a wine jar is selected and placed in the most solemn spot. The host buries a bamboo stake beforehand to tie the jar to, uncovers the mouth, pours in water, and inserts the drinking tubes in advance, ready for the ceremony. The custom of many people sharing a single jar of wine through tubes symbolizes solidarity, equality, and the deep communal spirit of the S'tiêng people.
Efforts to preserve and promote heritage values
Today, in the districts of Bu Gia Map and Bu Dang in Binh Phuoc province, many S'tiêng families continue the traditional craft of making tube wine. Not only elderly artisans like Mr. Dieu Don (70 years old, in Dak O commune), but also the younger generation such as Ms. Dieu Thi Xia (34 years old, in Soc Bom Bo) are striving to preserve and promote the heritage. Ms. Xia founded the Soc Bom Bo S'tiêng tube wine production cooperative, bringing together 10 members, mostly women from the village. Producing wine in larger quantities not only provides a stable income for the locals but also helps promote this unique culinary culture to consumers nationwide. The recognition of the tube wine making technique as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage is clear evidence of the S'tiêng community's relentless efforts to preserve and develop their traditional cultural values.
