If you haven't already read this issue of Saveur Magazine, you should pick one up right away. In this issue there is a feature on the Hmong farming community in Fresno, California. It's a great 14 page editorial with photos of the vegetables that is grown on one Hmong's family farm. Although, if you don't subscribe to this magazine or if you were to whiz by it in a bookshop you would not know that it contained information on Hmong-Lao food because it's unfortunate that it is not even mentioned on the cover. There is only mention of other features and the main feature which is the Avocado.
The Hmong live mainly in the mountains of Northern Laos, but their ancestry is Chinese. They left China during the Qing dynasty and settled in the northern regions of Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. They fled Laos with many other Hmongs and Laotians as the Communist government come to power in the 70s. Many have settle in the central region of California. According to the article, "Central California contains the largest concentration of Hmong in the nation; these Southeast Asian refugees constitute roughly 20 percent of the certified farmers in the Fresno area."
There are some similarities in Hmong and Lao dishes. There is this one dish in the magazine called Xwbkuab Kib Xyaw Nqaij Nyug (stir fried Angled Luffa with Beef). I don't think we call it the same the thing, but it looks like what I use to eat as a kid. It's even shown on the same plate. I think every Lao person or Asian person for that matter owns this plate. It's plastic, but has that red, blue, and yellow Chinese pattern on it. The dish consist of Angled Luffas, ground beef, peanut oil, lemon grass and Thai basil, all stir-fried together. It is a delicious, simple, and inexpensive dish and is a great meal all on its own, but is always best to eat it with sticky rice.Labels: Food, Hmong, Laos, Media |
One of Gerric's best friends girlfriends (um, did that make sense?) is Hmong. :)