Xôi

Xôi(Vietnamese pronunciation:[soj˧˧]) is a traditional dish ofVietnamese people.
The development process of the customs using xôi so far is still in the debate. However, although thecivilizationofIndiaandChinais often thought to be the foundation of modernEastandSoutheast Asianculture,sticky riceand customs revolves around it are almost not appearing in twocivilizations.Especially,Southeast Asiahas shown the rich development ofsticky ricegrowing model. Besides, eachcountryorethnic grouphas unique ways of processing, which is directly related tosticky rice.
According to the survey ofVietnamesescholars, thecustomsrelated tosticky ricehave followed theTai tribesfromYunnanto theNorthwestern regionofVietnamfrom the beginning of theChristian era.In fact, so far, this region is still the largeststicky ricegrowing inVietnam.Part of the reason is because thisricevariety is only suitable for highterrainwith lowwater. Therefore, it was known as "the sticky rice zone" (vùng thâm canh lúa nếp).
Because of those,sticky ricehas become a specificcropinSoutheast Asian culture. Over the centuries, xôi - its finished product - has made very rich and diverse developments, which cannot be found in otherregions.
Since ancient times, there has not been yet any research that can explain the word "xôi" inVietnamese languageor at least can find a form of inter-text. However, according to the survey of researcherTrần Quang Đức,this term appears in thebrainas a manifestation of adishmade from "gạo nếp" (sticky rice) and is almost the onlyingredient. Therefore, inVietnamesedictionaries, thiswordis classified as singleones, meaning it can be only anoun, not any other form.
In some reviews ofVietnamese cuisinesince the 1990s, thisdishhas been translated as "sticky rice". However, this translation is thought to be not yet close to therealityof things.
Besides, xôi has a more ancient call and is now only used in rural areas, which is "cơm nếp" (Kinh) or "khăw-nửng/khảu nửng" (Tai), meaning "the meal of sticky rice".
According tocurriculumThe Foundation of Vietnamese Culture(Cơ sở văn hóa Việt Nam, 1995) by Ph.D.Trần Ngọc Thêm,Vietnameseancestorsprobably have a long process of usingsticky rice(gạo nếp) as a basic dailyfood. However, it was inherently difficult to grow and often produces unstableyields, so over time, it has been replaced bywet rice(gạo tẻ).Wet ricehas gradually become the mainfooddaily because of the advantages such as: Gooddroughttolerance, ayearcan harvest at least twoseasons(springandautumn), moderate nutritional content... In addition, the price ofsticky riceis always double the price ofwet ricein the agriculturalmarket. This type ofriceis often called as "gem rice" (gạo ngọc) or even "heavenly rice" (gạo giời) inVietnamese folklore.This mainly comes from its round, white and glossyshape, as well as the nutritional content of high value.
Compared towet rice,sticky ricehas many nutritional advantages, but it proved more difficult to process. First of all,sticky ricemust be soaked inpure water(nước sạch) for anightto make itsgrainsbloom bigger, thus ensuring softness after cooking. Before cooking (đồ xôi),sticky ricemust be continued to soak withsalt water(nước muối). In contrast, the lack ofsaltwill cause thegrainsofsticky riceto be "thin" (gầy),unable to touch thenervesof the taste buds. Therefore, modernVietnamese folklorehas an extrasentence: "If thebreadis indispensable inyeast, how cansticky ricelacksalt?".However, after the process of preliminary processing, untilsticky ricebecomes xôi, its taste remains unchanged. After all,saltacts assolvents, notspicesas many people think.
Incuisinescience, xôi always consist of fourflavorsthat are nuttiness (ngùi), flavourless (nhạt), salinity (mặn) and sweetness (ngọt).Accordingly, the nuttiness has a significant popularity, while sweetness is very rare. Moreover, thecolorof xôi is white in pure, what is often calledivory color(màu ngà), but it becomes more colorful because of mix with otherfoods(mostlycereals).
From the habit of modernVietnamese people, xôi was classified as one of the extradishes(bữa phụ) to nourishnutritionafter hard labor. Besides, it is an indispensabledishin important events oflife:Festival,weddings, memorials of the deceased, especiallyLunar New Year...
In the most classic and universal form, xôi is usually wrapped inleavesofarrowrootor sometimesbananaandlotus. This method is to preserve thedishfor two (summer) to three (winter)days, which is very convenient to make the long journeys. Besides, some persons who are adventurous with theirtaste budswill fry xôi in a castironpan,although this method is not very popular. Moreover, the combination with the heat ofmetalis generally considered bad for the quality ofsticky rice.
The ethnic minority communities in theNorthwest mountainsofVietnamhave a different way of preparing xôi, which is called "cơm lam"(means "forest meal"). It is cooked inneohouzeauaor sometimesbambootubes rather thanpots. During thecookingprocess, theessential oilof thewoodpenetrates thesticky riceto supplement fragrance and automatically solidifies into a thinbiofilmto hold therice grains. This practice is not originally due to lack, but for convenience in going into theforestfor a long time.
Since the early 2010s, due to the influence ofThai tourismculture, there has been a trend amongVietnamese youthto eat xôi withdurian,jackfruitandmango, something that did not exist in previousdecades. Its most common use is usually in combination withcoconut milk. However, thisdish(xôi xiêm, "siamxôi") is only suitable forsummer.
According to theVietnamesephilosophyofyin yang,sticky riceis inherently hotfood, whilewet riceis a mild one, thus xôi is recommended not to use too much for people who can normal condition.Thesymptomsof eating xôi fully are as: Abdominal pain,belching, difficulty excreted, sometimesitchy.Some groups ofpeopleare recommended not to use xôi as a meal:Obese,stomachpain,stinger, serious wound, highfever, high blood pressure,pregnancy, persons tend to gain weight fast, persons usually have flatulence and indigestion.Furthermore, inVietnamese cuisine, xôi is usually combined with popularcerealsto increase itsflavor. Xôi is even said to be extremely helpful when served withfish,because it overcome thecoldwhen absorbingdishesoriginating from thewaters.That is why, it is also one of the anti-coldfoodsvery effectively. However, xôi should not be combined withchicken. By the experience ofVietnamese folklore, these twodisheswhen combined will make the number ofwormsgrow very quickly in thehuman body.In addition, some otheringredientsare also recommended not to be combined with xôi, such as:Chili,pepper,mustard,garlic,chicken eggs,beef... and especiallydog meat. Xôi is also very limited to makecakes, because its stickiness can completely causethroatblockage in case of pureeing.However, due tosticky rice's highest nutritional content ofcereals, physicians often recommend the use of xôi for sick people or women who has just given birth. It is thought to stimulate the strength ofmother's condition and especially themilk gland, which is very beneficial forbabies.
Despite being pushed down to the secondary row in everydaydishes, xôi has great mental significance of allVietnamese peoples. It is a priorityfoodfor thedeitiesandancestorsin every big occasion. Besides, it is also the main ingredient to makebánh chưng,bánh đònandbánh giầy, which are very important in theLunar New Year.
Before thesynthetic gluewas created, xôi was used byVietnamese peopleas a specialized and cheapglue. However, it can only be useful topaperand some thin items made frombamboo. Examples:Hand fans,paper lanterns,paintings...
Due to the diversity and richness of ways to prepare and display xôi, there are yet currently no officialstatisticson the number of dishes made from it. However, according to the books of authorsThạch Lam,Vũ BằngandToan Ánh, xôi can be classified into several groups according to form.
(Note: The following reviews contain many superficial)
Savoryxôiare calledxôi mặnin Vietnamese. They include the following varieties :
Sweetxôiare calledxôi ngọtin Vietnamese. They include the following varieties:
(Note: The following statistics are only of relative significance)