Cottage Industry: Fermented Bean Paste from Bagan

Pon Ye Gyi or fermented bean paste is one of the return home gifts for the visitors to central Myanmar. This local product has been produced in wet and dried ones, and it can be served as a salad with onion or cook with pork and fish. Bagan is one of the major producers of this local delightful product, but the business has been declined due to the impact, caused by the global pandemic.

One of the business owners said they can only produce about 30 to 50 visses a day which normally produced around 100 visses.

Aung Zaw Min, Shwe Oak Aww Pon Ye Gyi said "We sell Pon Ye Gyi depending on the visitors to our town. The sale rate is increased during long holidays like Tabaung ,Tagu and Thadingyut. We mainly import to Mandalay,Yangon and Pathein. Now the transportation becomes better and we also import our product to other regions."

Although Pon Ye Gyi is produced in Bagan region, raw materials soybeans have to be ordered from other towns like Myinchan and Yezagyo.

Owner, Shwe Oak Aww Pon Ye Gyi, U Shwe said "It is not enough to produce only by local soybeans so that we have to buy the soybeans from Myinchan and Yezagyo. Most soybeans are produced from Pyinmana TharWitHti, Ayela and Lewe. The soybeans are usually produced during February and March. We buy the beans as much as we can and store them during that time."

Previously, it took two days to produce fermented bean paste in a traditional method. Nowadays, it has been produced within a day.

Aung Zaw Min, Shwe Oak Aww Pon Ye Gyi said "In the previous traditional method, we fermented the beans on the first day, and we get the pasted in the next day. Under the traditional way, we only use the liquid to boil. So, the paste becomes smooth. Now, we boil the beans till it become soft and can get the paste within a day. The business becomes growth and we can give more works for the local residents. We carry out our business to develop in accord with the trend of age."

Besides producing Pon Ye Gyi, the waste from boiled beans has been used as animal feeds.