The strong taste of Tor'din on the top of Truong Son

While the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands often brew rice wine, some ethnic groups in the Truong Son mountains have a natural gift of "tree wine", which is the pure water secreted from the trunk of the Tr'din tree.

It is an important product that creates the culinary customs and culture of the Ta Oi, Co Tu, Bru - Van Kieu ethnic groups...; it is an indispensable drink for the people in traditional festivals.

The Tr'din tree belongs to the Areca family, with the scientific name Caryota urens, and usually grows at an altitude of 1,000 m (above sea level) or higher, suitable for humid, shady environments. This tree species is distributed in old forests and streams. When the ripe fruit falls, the rain in the forest, floods in the mountains, or birds and animals eating the fruit accidentally move them far away and sprout young trees.

The tree can be up to 10 - 15 m high, trunk diameter 40 - 50 cm; leaf sheaths spread out around, compound pinnate leaves, triangular, irregularly serrated. At about 10 years old, the tree will produce bunches. A tr'din tree usually produces 4 - 5 bunches in 4 - 5 years. Each year produces a bunch, each bunch has tens of thousands of fruits, each fruit usually has 1 - 2 seeds. The fruit is small, concave spherical, like the areca nut, reddish brown when ripe. The bunch of fruits hangs down, 2 - 3 m long.

To get wine, wait until the tree has bunches of fruit but has not yet bloomed. First, people have to observe which tree can be used for water. Usually, at the top of the tree there is a small, sharp shoot. If it does not bloom into several small branches, then the water can be used.

Drill into the trunk of the tree to get water.

To get tr'din water, people build a sturdy trellis and climb up with a ladder, using a knife to chisel along the tree trunk, close to the stem of the fruit cluster. When the tree shoots rise to the level of the old leaves, they chisel into the tree to get water. About 3-4 days later, when they see white, viscous water, it is a sign that the tree has started to produce water. People use a bamboo tube or a small can to catch the water underneath to get tr'din wine. A small trough is placed from the place where the tree trunk is chiseled to the tube to lead the water to seep out. In the tube, the bark of the apan tree - the same family as the garcinia tree - is placed to ferment the wine. Cutting the shoots must be done regularly. Each time the cutting is done, the shoots inside the tree trunk will protrude a little. Once a day, people come to cut and collect tr'din water to drink. If they cut twice a day, more water will come out but it will also run out faster. When there is a festival or when distinguished guests visit the house or village, people go into the forest to cut and collect water twice a day to have an abundant amount of wine to entertain them.

Each family chooses a few tr'din trees as their own property, each person harvests their own trees, absolutely no fighting over them. Tr'din wine is drunk at home, in the fields, in the village house (gươl), when free, and at weddings, funerals, etc. It is a type of wine that cannot be preserved for long and cannot be carried far away, so it is mainly used on the spot, and as much wine as is available, it is invited to enjoy together. In the village, the whole village knows which tree produces good and abundant wine. Inviting each other to drink "wine on the tree" has become a beautiful custom, most clearly demonstrating the spirit of sharing the joys and sorrows, and uniting the community of ethnic minorities. Each time being invited to drink wine is also a time for neighbors to meet, visit, and chat to learn more about the family situation, the difficulties of each family, and find ways to help each other.

Da da dance of Co Tu girls under the canopy of tor'din leaves.

The aromatic and passionate yeast from the wild nature not only helps the body gain more strength but also pours into people's hearts noble emotions, imbued with humanity. Nowadays, people have learned how to distill and preserve, so that it can be kept for a long time, turning Tr'din wine into a mountain specialty, serving the enjoyment needs of people and tourists.

Tan Vinh

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202507/men-nong-tordin-tren-dinh-truong-son-72a104a/