· Seasonal food · Kim Phú Commune
Pồi, steamed from corn, cassava and sticky rice, is Kim Phú's traditional staple. Local cooks now also make a five-colour version tinted with pandan leaf and gấc fruit, and it is now served to visitors around Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng.
Beyond the forest and the caves, a trip to Kim Phú is a chance to taste pồi (also called cơm bồi), the traditional staple that families here have kept for generations. It is made from what the hills provide: corn, cassava and sticky rice.
Traditionally there were two kinds: yellow pồi from corn and cassava, and white pồi from cassava and sticky rice. Steamed, it is soft, slightly chewy and nutty, with a plain, earthy taste.
To share the dish with visitors, local cooks now also make five-colour pồi, using natural colourings such as pandan leaf and gấc fruit. The coloured flours are packed into a divided mould and steamed over a wood fire, coming out as a round cake of coloured wedges. It looks festive but tastes the same.
Kim Phú’s pồi is now packed, labelled and served to visitors around Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng. It is best with grilled meat, the soft, nutty pồi against the rich, savoury meat. In Kim Phú itself, you can have it at a family dinner in Tân Hóa village.
Photos: Thùy Linh
