rượu cần

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The Vietnamese word "rượu cần" refers to a traditional type of rice wine that is mainly consumed in the highland regions of Vietnam, particularly in the Tây Nguyên area. This wine is unique because it is drunk directly from a jar using long pipes, which adds a communal and festive element to the experience.

Usage Instructions:

• When to Drink: "Rượu cần" is typically enjoyed during special occasions such as the Tết festival (Lunar New Year), weddings, ground-breaking ceremonies, and other festive events.
• How to Serve: The jar of "rượu cần" is placed in a central location, allowing many people to gather around and drink. Long pipes are inserted into the jar for drinking, and a basin of pure water is kept nearby to help mix with the wine.

Example:

• Sentence: "During the wedding, everyone gathered around the jar of rượu cần and took turns sipping from the pipes, celebrating the couple's happiness."

Advanced Usage:

"Rượu cần" is not just a drink; it represents a cultural tradition that fosters community bonding and celebration. The process of making "rượu cần" involves various ingredients such as wild leaves, cassava roots, and rice, which undergo fermentation before being stored in the jar.

Word Variants:

• There are no direct variants of "rượu cần," but it can be related to other types of traditional Vietnamese wines or spirits, each with its own method of preparation and consumption.

Different Meanings:

While "rượu" translates to "wine" or "alcohol," "cần" can mean "pipe" or "tube." Together, "rượu cần" specifically refers to the communal drinking experience involving the jar and pipes.

Synonyms:

• "Rượu" (wine) - a general term for alcoholic beverages.
• "Rượu nếp" (glutinous rice wine) - another type of traditional Vietnamese rice wine, though it is consumed differently.

Cultural Significance:

"Rượu cần" is more than just a drink; it is intertwined with the customs and social practices of various ethnic groups, particularly the Thái and Mường. The act of drinking "rượu cần" often involves traditional dances like múa xoè and drum beating, creating a joyful atmosphere that allows participants to forget their daily worries.

Academic

1. Rượu cần (wine drunk out of a jar through pipes) is very popular among the highlanders, especially in Tây Nguyên. But its flavour differs from one area to another. In Sơn La (some 300 km north-west of Hà Nội), for example, where the Thái ethnic groups are to be found, people drink rượu cần in their own special way. It is drunk on several occasions: Tết festival, wedding parties, ground-breaking ceremonies or other festive days. The jar containing the wine is put at a fixed place (in the middle of the house or the yard), so that as many people as possible can drink it. Pipes are put into the jar prior to drinking and a basinful of pure water is placed beside it. A buffalo horn to be used to pour water into the jar is put on a tray nearby. Not everyone is allowed to drink rượu cần. And the order of precedence is strictly observed. But there is no racial discrimination: the Kinh ( Việt) may drink with the Thái and Mường. The ingredients of rượu cần include wild leaves, cassava roots and rice which are washed and put above an oven for 20 days or sọ Then all the mixed ingredients are wrapped with large banana leaves and left in a corner of the house for a couple of days. As soon as the process of fermentation is completed, the whole brew is put into a jar. When all the guests are seated, the host pours water from the basin into the jar. At first, he invites the guests to taste the wine from a jar whose wine is more bitter than others. This is meant to remind everyone of the bitterness of life. Then a second jar is brought in which the wine tastes more pungent. In the third jar, the wine is sweetest symbolizing that " your heart can be happy after so much grief". Drinking rượu cần is accompanied by Múa Xoè (a dance of the Thái ethnic minorities) and drum beating. All this is to help the host and guests forget all their daily worries and enjoy to the utmost the pleasure of tasting rượu cần. (VNS)