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Mango (xoai)
Mangoes, xoai in Vietnamese, are grown in most
southern provinces. The most reputed mangoes
come from Cao Lanh District in Dong Thap
Province.
Mangoes are divided into several kinds, known
locally as xoai cat, xoai tuong, xoai xiem and
xoai ngua to cite just a few. The finest mangoes
are xoai cat. This type of fruit has a bright
yellow peel, a round shape, and weighs as much
0.5 kilograms. The meat is considered sweeter
and more fragrant than that of other varieties.
Rambutan (chom chom)
A rambutan tree has broad foliage and many
branches. In the southern provinces, the tree
yields fruit at the beginning of the rainy
season . The chom chom fruit season lasts until
the end of the rainy season (from May to
October).
The skin of this fruit is tough, thick and
hairy. Its meat is transparent white and tender,
and has a cool sweet taste in the mouth. The
most reputed rambutan fruit nation-wide is grown
in Binh Hoa Phuoc village in Long Ho district in
Vinh Long province, some 5Okm north of Ho Chi
Minh City. During the rambutan season one can
notice the typical bright red colour of rambutan
fruit stands located in the markets, along road
and at intersections throughout the southern
provinces.
Mangosteen (mang cut)
The name and the shape of this fruit does not
look attractive to those who first see it. The
fruit is a bit smaller than a tennis ball and
has a dark violet rough skin. When you peel off
the upper part of the fruit with a small sharp
knife, you can see the transparent white pulp
inside arranged in equal segments. While lifting
each segment of the transparent white meat to
your mouth you can imagine the light and pure
refreshment that leaves a little sour taste
lingering in your mouth.
Star Apple (vu sua)
No better word than marvelous can be used to
praise the tropical fruit with the name Vu Sua
(milk from the breast). Upon entering a star
apple orchard, the most famous located in Can
Tho Province in the Mekong River Delta, visitors
can see for themselves the hundreds of star
apples suspended from the branches. The round
smooth fruit are all of equal size. The shape of
the star apple matches the name attached to it,
as does its juice which is fragrantly sweet and
milky white like breast milk.
If visitors are unfamiliar to the region, they
can be guided by locals on how to enjoy the
fruit. A novice will certainly peel the fruit
with a sharp knife, which may cause the precious
juice inside to be wasted. When using a knife to
cut the fruit, it is advisable to cut the fruit
into two parts before using a spoon to scoop out
the pulp, bit by bit, until nothing is left.
The most popular way to enjoy the fruit by
orchard owners is to eat the whole fruit. People
tend to drill a small hole at the top of the
fruit, lift it to their mouths, lean their heads
backward, and drink the flow of the fragrant
juice as a baby sucks milk from its mother's
breast. One thing you should remember before
taking in the juice is that you must squeeze the
tough fruit until it becomes tender so that the
juice mixes with the meat of the fruit to become
a sweet and fragrant muddy substance that looks
like breast milk.
Durian (Sau Rieng)
You may wonder why this fruit has to bear such
an austere name as "sau rieng" (one's own
sorrows). If you are curious enough, travel to
the orchard province in southern Vietnam where
the locals are likely to recite the immortal
love story.
Long ago, there was a young couple that lived in
the region. Because of social prejudices that
could not be overcome, the couple sought their
own deaths in order to be faithful to each
other. Their own sorrows received the
population's sympathies, and the story of their
tragedy has been handed down from generation to
generation. To commemorate the couple, the
locals have named one of their most valuable
fruits sau rieng.
Durian is an expensive fruit. One Durian fruit
is five to six times larger than a Mango. Its
skin is thick, rough, and covered with sharp
thorns. With a gentle cut between the edges of
the outer shell, you can easily open the fruit
to expose the layers of bright yellow segments
of meat that make the pulp look like it is
covered with a thin layer of butter.
Literature writer Mai Van Tao once wrote about
the particularly good smell of the Durian. He
wrote, "The dense fragrance which spreads near
and far, lingers a long time before
disappearing. The strong smell can go straight
to your nostrils, even though you are still
several meters away from the fruit. The
fragrance of Durian is a mixture of smells which
come from a ripening jackfruit and that of a
shaddock. It can also be compared to the strong
smell of foreign-made cheese and is rich as a
hen's egg. Others describe the fruit as sweet as
well-kept honey. All things considered, Durian
has a special tempting smell.Those who have not
enjoyed the fruit before may find it hard to
eat. But once they have tried it, they are
likely to seek it again."
Pineapple (Dua)
Pineapple plants are widely grown in the
country. The peak ripening time for this
tropical fruit coincides with summer when the
hours of sunshine are longer. People in southern
Vietnam usually call this tropical fruit trai
thom (fragrant fruit), which is literally a
precise quote for the fruit since anyone who
takes their first bite can surely notice the
strong sweet smell. Since the smell of the
pineapples lingers longer than that of some
other fruits, connoisseurs find it difficult to
forget.
Pineapples are processed into different products
such as canned pineapple, pineapple liquor,
sweet preserved pineapple liquor, and sweet
preserved pineapple. There is also a special
juicy drink that exists only in pineapple
growing areas. Growers press the fruit into a
juice which is then mixed with the yoke of a
hen's egg before being thoroughly stirred
together to become a muddy drink. The drink is
said to be very sweet, creamy, and nutritious.
Phuc Trach Sweet Polemo
(Buoi Duong Phuc Trach)
There are several kinds of regional polemo
growing areas famous for their particular taste;
each fruit is named after the locality where it
is grown. These polemo include buoi Doan Hung,
buoi Phuc Trach, buoi Bien Hoa, and buoi Thuan
Hai, to cite just a few.
On the way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City by
train, you are sure to stop at Phuc Trach
Station in Huong Pho District on the central
coast. One of the few food specialties offered
to passengers by local vendors are the polemo,
commonly called buoi Phuc Trach. The strong
fragrance the fruit boasts will likely ensure
that you never forget the name of the fruit.
When the polemo is eaten, its slightly sweet
taste lingers in the mouth and at the same time
helps connoisseurs feel energetic.
The Phuc Trach polemo has been widely famous in
the country after it was awarded a medal at a
national fruit fair organized in 1938. Phuc
Trach polemos are also exported to Hong Kong.
The Far East Economic Review remarked: "In
Vietnam's central coast there is a particularly
delicious polemo. Kept after a while, the juice
in the polemo segments becomes muddy, as if some
sort of sugar in itself. "
Longan (Nhan)
Longan trees are grown in larger numbers in the
northern provinces than in the southern region.
The most famous Longan comes from former Hung
Yen province. In the old days, Hung Yen Longans
were among the food items reserved as tributes
to the Kings.
The fruit is as small as the tip of a thumb.
Inside the thin and light brown skin is the
transparent white pulp which covers a small
glossy black seed. The thicker the pulp, the
juicier, more fragrant, and crisp the pulp.
Longan is a protein rich fruit. It is usually
used as a main ingredient, along with lotus
seeds, to make sweet soup, which is considered a
very good summer refreshment. The seedless
longan, when dried, is also a very fine choice
for connoisseurs.
Thieu Litchi (Vai Thieu)
Thieu is the name dedicated to a special kind of
litchi grown in Hai Duong Province. The Thieu
Litchi is a bit bigger than the longan. Unlike
the skin of the longan, which is rather smooth,
the dark red skin of the litchi is rough and
rippled.The meat of the litchi is also
transparent white, but it is thicker and juicier
than that of a longan. The litchi seed is also
smaller than the longan seed.
Banana (Chuoi)
Bananas offer various mineral substances and
energy. Bananas are not only a delicious fruit
when ripe, but green bananas are also part of
some dishes. Banana flower is mixed in delicious
salads. Banana tree trunks, when young, can be
eaten as a vegetable, and banana tree roots can
be cooked with fish, or mixed in salads.
Several banana varieties grow all over the
country. Tieu bananas are the most popular kind;
they are small and smell sweet when ripe. Ngu
and Cau bananas are small with a thin peel. Tay
bananas are short, big, and straight, and can be
fried or cooked in meals. Tra Bot bananas are
widely planted in the south; their peel is
yellow or brown when ripe with a white pulp.
When Tra Bot bananas are not ripe, they taste
sour. In the Southeast, there are a lot of Bom
bananas. They look like Cau bananas, but their
peel is thicker and their pulp is not as sweet.
Papays (Du du)
Papaya is sold all year round, especially in the
south, and is not very expensive. It has a sweet
smell and offers various minerals and vitamins,
such as vitamin A and C.
In the south, one of the popular varieties of
papaya is the one with red, thick pulp that has
a fragrance but that does not contain much
sugar. This species is grown in the Mekong Delta
region and in the area close to the Cambodian
border. Another species of papaya available in
the south is the one with yellow or orange peel.
Papayas are not as abundant in the north.
Because of the colder climate, fruits take a
longer time to ripen.
Persimmon (Hong)
Vietnam has many kinds of persimmon such as my
with yellow fruit and cado with small fruit.
Persimmon is famous for providing a lot of sugar
and vitamin A. Persimmon fruits contain as much
vitamin C as oranges and tangerines, and their
pulp does not have a sour taste.
Persimmon can be either round or in the shape of
a heart. Persimmon fruits are divided into two
kinds: bitter and sweet. Bitter persimmon fruits
are edible when they are green and hard, but is
very sweet when the fruit is ripe. The fruit of
sweet persimmon are always sweet, even when
green and hard.
In the north, persimmon is grown widely; the
most popular varieties include Lang persimmon in
Lang Son and Hac persimmon in Hac Tri. In the
south, persimmon can only be planted in the
highlands of Dalat.
In Oriental medicine, persimmon is considered
effective to reduce high blood pressure and
relieve abdominal pain. Persimmon trees can be
trimmed into ornamental trees. When their leaves
fall down, fruits still hang onto the branches.
Sapodilla (Hong Xiem)
Sapodilla was imported to Vietnam a long time
ago. In the last 20 years, sapodilla has been
widely planted in the north, where it grew for
the first time in Xuan Dinh, Tu Liem district,
Hanoi.
Sapodilla fruit is shaped like an egg and weighs
from 10 to 200 grams. Its peel is brown with
tiny cracks near the stalk. The pulp, which is
brown and yellow, is very juicy and smells very
sweet. When it is not ripe, it is not edible
because it contains a lot of sticky resin.
There are two popular species of sapodilla grown
in Vietnam: orange pulp and white-yellow pulp
sapodilla. The orange pulp sapodilla is planted
in the north on the highlands. The pulp of the
white-yellow sapodilla is light yellow or yellow
and the peel is green or yellow. The peel is
thin; the pulp is soft and has taste of peach,
banana, and apple.
Sapodilla flower consecutively bloom in bunches
so that it has fruits to offer throughout the
year.
Custard Apple (Mang Cau
- Na)
In Vietnam, there are two kinds of custard
apple: firm and soft. Both varieties can have
various shapes, for example they can be round or
oval. When a custard apples is ripe, it is easy
to peel. The peel is thick, green, and covered
with white or green pollen. The pulp is white or
light yellow and contains many black seeds.
In the south, custard apples ripen in July, but
not all at the same time. Firm custard apples
are densely grown in the south, mainly in Ninh
Thuan and Vung Tau. Xiem custard apples are oval
or heart shaped. Their peel is green with
thorns, which turn black when the fruit is ripe.
The fruits are generally big and can reach 1.5
kg. The pulp is white, hard, and a bit sour.
Custard apple trees deliver fruit after three or
four years of growth. A tree produces on average
from 50 to 100 fruits per year. The fruits
ripens on the tree and then cracks, especially
during the rainy season.
Jackfruit (Mit)
Jackfruits contain a lot of sugar and calories.
They grow on every part of the tree: the trunk,
branches, and even on the roots.
Jackfruit trees bear approximately 150 to 200
fruits per year. When the fruit are ripe, their
pulp is yellow and sweet, containing a lot or
little juice depending on the species.
Jackfruits without seeds are planted densely in
the Mekong Delta region.
To nu jackfruits are small and come from a short
tree. The flesh of ripe fruit is firmly stuck to
the core; when eating a jackfruit, simply hold
the core and pull it out. In the south, the to
nu jackfruit harvest season starts from March to
June. There are several other species of
jackfruits divided into two main groups: hard
jackfruits with hard and crunchy flesh, and soft
jackfruits with soft flesh and a lot of juice.
Green dragon (Thanh
Long)
Green dragon is the name of a newly cultivated
fruit. It is rather big, weighs from 200 to 500
grams, and has pink or dark-red colour. The ripe
fruit looks like the kohlrabi cabbage and has an
oval shape.
When ripe, the fruit peels as easily as a
banana. Its pulp is white and gelatinous. The
pulp contains many seeds that cannot be
extracted. The seeds taste like cactus, giving
the fruit a sweet and sour taste.
Before 1945, green dragon fruits were not sold
in southern markets. It is said that Americans
brought green dragon fruits to the south. From
Phan Thiet to Nha Trang or from Ninh Hoa to Buon
Ma Thuot, bushes of green dragon fruits can be
seen climbing to tree trunks in gardens and even
on doors.
Different from any other southern fruit, its
harvest season is particular; fruits become
available in markets in October, November,
April, and May. They are more expensive in
October and April, since there are smaller
quantities available.
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