Mach nha Mạch nha
Mạch nha is the malt syrup of Thi Phổ in Mộ Đức: sprouted grain cooked, pressed, and slowly reduced. It is lightly sweet and mild, eaten spread on rice paper.
Food tours Mach nha Search a food tour or a cooking class for this dish.
Search on KlookWhy it matters
The proverb on the Cẩm Thành ward article is kẹo gương Thu Xà, mạch nha Thi Phổ (Mộ Đức). The malt article on the same ward site says Địa chí Quảng Ngãi records a display at the Hue and Hanoi fairs around 1930–1935, and a rank of Cửu phẩm văn giai for a malt maker.
Taste
The malt article calls traditional mạch nha lightly sweet and mild, not harsh if you eat a lot of it. A standard jar, it says, does not slump when tilted and does not stick to the hand.
How to enjoy it
The ward article on sugar says mạch nha comes from fermenting starch in rice, cassava, or rice malt into maltose, and names bánh tráng spread with mạch nha.
The malt article quotes a three-stage process from Địa chí Quảng Ngãi: sprout the grain, cook and press and filter, then reduce. It says the reduction decides whether the malt is thick or thin. Eat it with rice paper. The same article also describes a separate cassava maltose.
Vietnam Airlines lists mạch nha among gifts to carry home.
Where to try it
Mộ Đức and Thi Phổ, on the Cẩm Thành ward articles. Not the city center.