With a history tracing back toTai tribes inSoutheast Asia,[1]sticky rice became astaple crop inVietnam partly due to the region's suitability for its growth. While somewhat replaced by other forms ofrice which are easier to grow, it is still eaten in the modern era, prepared in a variety of different ways.
The development process of the customs around xôi is still debated. Although thecivilizations ofIndia andChina are often thought to be the foundation of modernEast andSoutheast Asianculture, sticky rice and the customs revolving around it rarely appear in either region.[2][3] Instead,Southeast Asia has shown the rich development of sticky rice, with eachcountry orethnic group having unique ways of processing and consuming it.[4]
According toVietnamesescholars, thecustoms related to sticky rice have followed theTai tribes fromYunnan to theNorthwestern region ofVietnam from the beginning of theChristian era.[note 1][5] This region is still the largest sticky rice growing in Vietnam,[6] partly because thisrice variety is only suitable for highterrain with lowwater. As such, it was known as "the sticky rice zone" (vùng thâm canh lúa nếp).[7][note 2] Because of this, sticky rice has become a staplecrop in Southeast Asian culture. Over the centuries, xôi – its finished product – has made very rich and diverse developments.[8][9]
Since ancient times, there has been minimal research to explain the origin of word "xôi" in theVietnamese languages or at least find a form ofintertextuality. According to researcherTrần Quang Đức,[note 3] the term is the manifestation of adish made from "gạo nếp" (sticky rice) as almost the onlyingredient. InVietnamese dictionaries, this term is classified as single word, meaning it can be only anoun and not any other form. It should be understood similarly tophở in terms of language function in that the term refers to a processed dish rather than the plant.[note 4]
Older terms exist for Xôi which are now only used in rural areas, such as "cơm nếp" (Kinh) or "ꪹꪄ꫁ꪱ /khăw-nueng" (Tai), meaning "the meal of sticky rice".[10][11]
According toThe Foundation of Vietnamese Culture (Cơ sở văn hóa Việt Nam, 1995) by Trần Ngọc Thêm,[note 5] Vietnamese people likely have a long history of using sticky 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).[note 6] Wet rice has gradually become the main staple food because of a few advantages : Gooddrought tolerance, a harvest of at least two seasons per year (spring andautumn), and nutritional content. In addition, the price of sticky rice is always double the price of wet rice in the agriculturalmarket. This type ofrice is often called as "gem rice" (gạo ngọc) or even "heavenly rice" (gạo giời) inVietnamese folklore.[14] This mainly comes from its round, white and glossyshape, as well as the high nutritional content.[15]
Compared to wet rice, sticky rice has many nutritional advantages, but it proved more difficult to process. First of all, sticky rice must be soaked inpure water (nước sạch) for anight to make itsgrains bloom bigger, thus ensuring softness after cooking. Before cooking (đồ xôi),sticky rice must be continued to soak withsalt water (nước muối). In contrast, the lack ofsalt will cause thegrains ofsticky rice to be "thin" (gầy),[note 7] unable to touch thenerves of the taste buds. Therefore, modernVietnamese folklore has an extrasentence : "If thebread is indispensable inyeast, how cansticky rice lacksalt?".[note 8] However, after the process of preliminary processing, untilsticky rice becomes xôi, its taste remains unchanged. After all,salt acts assolvents, notspices as many people think.[16][17]
Xôi can have fourflavors : nuttiness (ngùi), flavourless (nhạt), salinity (mặn), and sweetness (ngọt). The nuttiness has significant popularity, while sweetness is very rare. Thecolor of pure xôi is white, often calledivory (màu ngà), but it becomes more colorful when mixed with other foods (mostlycereals).
In modern Vietnam, xôi is considered one of the extra dishes (bữa phụ) to givenutrition after hard labor. It is also significant for important events of life, such asfestivals,weddings, memorials for the deceased, andLunar New Year.[18][19]
On important occasions, xôi is sometimes compressed with wooden utensils so that it can be kept longer.[20]Xôi withgac (red xôi) is often used with the meaning ofblessing.
In the most classic and universal form, xôi is usually wrapped inleaves ofarrowroot or sometimesbanana andlotus. This method is to preserve thedish for two (summer) to three (winter)days, which is very convenient for making long journeys. Some people will fry xôi in a castironpan,[21] although this method is not very popular as the combination with the heat of metal is generally considered bad for the quality of sticky rice.[22]
The ethnic minority communities in theNorthwest mountains ofVietnam have a different way of preparing xôi, which is called "cơm lam"[note 9] ("forest meal"). It is cooked inneohouzeaua or sometimesbamboo tubes rather thanpots. During thecooking process, theessential oil of thewood penetrates the sticky rice to supplement fragrance and automatically solidifies into a thinbiofilm to hold therice grains. This practice is not originally due to lack, but for convenience for going into theforest for a long time.
Since the early 2010s, due to the influence ofThai tourismculture, there has been a trend among Vietnamese youth to eat xôi withbanana,durian,jackfruit andmango, something that did not exist in previousdecades. Its most common use is usually in combination withcoconut milk. However, thisdish (xôi xiêm, "siam xôi") is only suitable forsummer.[23]
According to theVietnamesephilosophy ofyin yang,sticky rice is inherently hotfood, whilewet rice is a mild one. It is therefore not recommended to eat Xôi excessively.[24][25] The claimedsymptoms of eating too much xôi include abdominal pain,belching, difficulty excreting, anditchiness.[26] People with certain conditions are recommended not to use xôi as a meal, such asobesity,stomach pain, beingstung, serious wounds, highfever, high blood pressure,pregnancy, gaining weight fast, and flatulence and indigestion.[27]
Xôi is usually combined with popularcereals to increase itsflavor. Xôi is said to be extremely helpful when served withfish[28][29] because it overcomes thecold when absorbingdishes originating from thewater[note 10] as an anti-cold food. However, xôi is not recommended withchicken, as according toVietnamese folklore, these twodishes combined will makeworms grow very quickly in thehuman body.[30][31] In addition, some otheringredients are also recommended not to be combined with xôi, such aschili,pepper,mustard,garlic,chicken eggs,beef, and especiallydog meat. Xôi is also not recommended forcakes, as its stickiness can causechoking if pureed.[32][33][34] However, due to sticky rice's highest nutritional content ofcereals, physicians often recommend the use of xôi for sick people or women who have just given birth. It is thought to stimulate the strength of themother's condition and especially themilk gland, which is very beneficial forbabies.[35]
Despite becoming less significant in everyday dishes, xôi remains significant to the Vietnamese people. It is a priorityfood for thedeities andancestors in every big occasion. It is also the main ingredient to makebánh chưng,bánh tét andbánh giầy, which are very important in theTết Nguyên Đán.
Nam Định City is often known intravel guides as "the capital of xôi" (thủ đô xôi) inVietnam. This comes from the abundance of the quality and way of processing xôi in the Old Quarters inside the city.[36][37]
Hmong andYao families in Vietnam often put a bowl of xôi with a few pieces of boiledpork at the door every night at the end of the year to invite theforest spirits (ma rừng) for eating.
Before entering anexam, people are often given xôi withbeans (xôi đỗ/xôi đậu) by ther parents. Because thepronunciation of "bean" (đỗ/đậu) is homogeneous with that of "passing [the exam]" (thi đỗ/thi đậu) in the Vietnamese language, this is a way to wish luck.
According to Vietnamese law,death row inmates are allowed two hours[note 11] to enjoy alast meal (cơm đoạn đầu) before serving their sentence. Its composition consists of xôi withbeans andchả (Vietnamese sausage).[38][39]
In theVietnamese language, theraspberry is called "quả mâm-xôi" or "trái mâm-xôi" (meaning "fruit of xôi tray") because of its shape. Similarly, theflorist's daisy is called the "cúc mâm-xôi" (meaning "daisy of xôi tray").
Due to the diversity and richness of ways to prepare and display xôi, there are yet currently no officialstatistics on the number of dishes made from it. However, according to authorsThạch Lam[note 12],Vũ Bằng[note 13] andToan Ánh[note 14], xôi can be classified into several groups according to form.[40]
White xôi (xôi suông): The simplest and most common form. However, it is sometimes combined withfat,onions andfish sauce to enhance the flavor.
Betel-flower xôi (xôi hoa cau): Themung beans are cooked with xôi what bloom like speckledflowers.
Xôi gấc – made with thearil and seeds of thegấc fruit[46]
Xôi lá cẩm (also calledxôi tím) – made with themagenta plant
Xôi lá cẩm đậu xanh – made with the magenta plant and mung beans
Xôi lá dứa – made withpandan leaf extract for the green color and a distinctive pandan flavor
Xôi lúa – with boiled waxy maize, fried shallot and mung bean paste
Xôi nếp than – made with black glutinous rice
Xôi ngũ sắc – 5-coloredxôi: purple from the leaf extract of themagenta plant, green frompandan leaf, red fromgấc fruit, yellow from mung beans, and the white color of natural glutinous rice
^Nguyễn, Xuân Hiển (2001).Glutinous-Rice-Eating Tradition in Vietnam and Elsewhere. Bangkok: White Lotus Press. p. 13.ISBN9789747534238.
^Golomb, Louis (March 1976). "The Origin, Spread and Persistence of Glutinous Rice as a Staple Crop in Mainland Southeast Asia".Journal of Southeast Asian Studies.7 (1):1–15.doi:10.1017/S0022463400010237.S2CID163052600.
^Vân TraiTrần Quang Đức,Ngàn năm áo mũ : Lịch sử trang phục Việt Nam giai đoạn 1009–1945, Nhà sách Nhã Nam & Nhà xuất bản Thế Giới,Hà Nội, 2013.
^Trần Ngọc Thêm.Cơ sở văn hóa Việt Nam (The Foundation of Vietnamese Culture), 504 pages. Publishing by Nhà xuất bản Đại học Tổng hợp TPHCM.Saigon,Vietnam, 1995.
^According toThe Basis of Vietnamese Culture (fp. 1997 - rp. 2006) by Prof.Trần Quốc Vượng and colleagues, the formula for creating traditionalVietnamese cuisine was:Rice,vegetable,fish,meat. In particular, meat appeared later and is also less common.
^"Lép" (poor), "gầy" (thin), "chắc" (thick) and "mẩy" (fat) are specialized terms in Vietnamese rice cultivation techniques, what are used to describe the quality of rice grains.
^In Vietnamese : "Bánh mì nào thiếu tí men ; Thế thì gạo nếp phải phiền muối thôi".
^Sing, Phia (2000).Traditional recipes of Laos : Being the manuscript recipe books of the late Phia Sing, from the Royal Palace at Luang Prabang, reproduced in facsimile and furnished with an English translation. Prospect Books. p. 183.ISBN0-907325-60-2.OCLC1342532853.
Trần Ngọc Thêm.Cơ sở văn hóa Việt Nam (The Foundation of Vietnamese Culture), 504 pages. Publishing by Nhà xuất bản Đại học Tổng hợp TPHCM.Saigon,Vietnam, 1995.
Li Tana (2011).Jiaozhi (Giao Chỉ) in the Han period Tongking Gulf. In Cooke, Nola; Li Tana; Anderson, James A. (eds.). The Tongking Gulf Through History. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 39–44. ISBN 9780812205022.
Samuel Baron,Christoforo Borri,Olga Dror,Keith W. Taylor (2018).Views of Seventeenth-Century Vietnam : Christoforo Borri on Cochinchina and Samuel Baron on Tonkin. Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-1-501-72090-1.
Gibbs, JC (18 May 2018)."FORKLIFE: Children of Sticky Rice".Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved10 June 2021.
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