Bỏng Chủ (Chủ poprice) is a kind of food that is only made in Co Loa. Legend has it that Bỏng Chủ was a kind of foodstuff reserved for the soldiers in the battles because it could have been kept for a long time. It is also an indispensable offering in Co Loa Festival on 6th January (Lunar Calendar) which used to dedicate to the king to commemorate his merits. As Bỏng Chủ is an offering, the makers must be abstinent before doing this. This craft has existed in Co Loa for a long time.

Bỏng Chủ is made of glutinous rice. The rice seeds must be swollen and sappy; they must be left on the earthen ground for 5 days before being popped, therefore they can be soundly and equilaterally exploded. In the past, part of the public fields was used for growing rice for making pop rice in Co Loa. Nowadays, glutinous rice for making pop rice is mainly bought from Dục Tú village or Bắc Ninh, Bắc Giang provinces. Other ingredients are cardamom, sesame, peanut, of which cardamom is a typical taste in Bỏng Chủ. Cardamom is torrefied, ground into pour and then mixed poprice to make it sweet-smelling.

The tools for making poprice include a big pan (about 1 meter in diameter), a handmade stove and the fire is usually controlled in normal level while torrefying and much higher level when the rice seeds start to explode. A bundle of bamboo sticks or chopsticks are used for turning over the rice seeds continuously during popping. When the rice seeds have exploded equilaterally, their husks are removed from them. Three sieves with different sized are used for removing the husks: the big, medium, and small ones. In accordance with the three sieves, there are three types of products: hoa 1 (type 1), hoa 2 (type 2), and hoa 3 (type 3). These three types of poprice are then mixed with sugar that was melt, sesame, peanut, cardamom flour. The sugar must be melted with a little sugar still remains in tiny pieces. The mixed poprice is then squeezed in a mold.

The poprice is squeezed into cakes by two people: one holds a pestle and hardly squeeze it for 20 times while the other is keeping the mould tightly. The popcorn cakes are rectangular in size 25 cm * 30 cm, free length or 37 cm * 10 cm * 10 cm. After the poprice cakes are covered with a thin layer of flour made of ground poprice and left for one night; they are then cut into 2 halves and each half is divided five sections which are wrapped in 2 layers of paper: the inner layer for keeping them dry and the outer red layer for decorating them. They are tightly tied with bamboo strings.

Coming to the Co Loa Vestige Site, you are immersed in the sacred space of Au Lac Citadel and participate in the experience of playing Bỏng Chủ, a traditional craft that represent the distinct culture of the ancient capital.

Bỏng Chủ Craft in Co Loa

Pupils participate in the experience of making Bỏng Chủ

MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT OF COLOA VESTIGE SITE