Buzz
Wives who master the art of preparing chili salt seasoning to perfection often receive lavish praise from their husbands' drinking buddies.
Experience the essence of life through Mekong Delta travel
Local farmers in the countryside often regard chili salt seasoning as a 'culinary masterpiece' bestowed upon this land by nature. It's not just about eating; it's about savoring childhood memories, creating a holistic sensory experience.
The Cherry Blossoms of the South
Every year, as the scorching sun beats down in March (lunar calendar), the Southern Mekong Delta is adorned with delicate pink cherry blossom branches, resembling the curved lips of a rural maiden, gently soothing the sun's scorching heat as if to protect the skin. The chili salt seasoning tree has been featured in numerous artworks for its rustic yet uniquely beautiful appearance, rivaling other flower species.
Some liken the chili salt seasoning flowers to the cherry blossoms of the South because of their pink hue and the abundant bloom during the season. When the season arrives, the chili salt seasoning trees shed their leaves and burst into blossoms. The flower season paints a pink hue, creating a harmonious contrast against the clear sky filled with sunlight. Entire trees turn pink, blending with the rural landscape of rivers and fields like a romantic landscape painting, captivating hearts.
The chili salt seasoning flowers, small like fingertips, cluster together in bunches, forming clusters. Even when the flowers fall, they do not wither like 'roses' or 'lilies'. The fallen flowers remain fresh and pink, forming a carpet on the ground to welcome travelers exploring the Mekong Delta, creating a different kind of beauty, not decayed or faded. The image of gentle winds carrying falling flowers evokes nostalgic feelings, reminiscent of a movie scene or a romantic song.
After blooming, it's time for fruit. The young fruit is green, initially small like toothpicks, then gradually grows like green beans, then pods... Over time, it turns black. By the next flower season, the fruit ripens, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a storm to fall.
Bonded with Childhood
During the months of March and April (lunar calendar), sporadic early season rains occur. On rainy days, children often run around in the rain. Besides the game of 'poke the dog,' picking chili salt seasoning fruit during thunderstorms is also a risky game. Because the fruit is as large and hard as a hardwood stick, it can cause head injuries if it falls on someone.
When the fruit is still green, children climb up to break them down as mock weapons for play battles, and when bored, they crack them open to eat the seeds. When the fruit turns ripe and begins to fall, the faint scent fills the air, the thick black syrupy nectar inside each fruit piece, each piece sweet. Some can't control themselves and eat too much, leading to stomachaches, and when they need to 'relieve the pain,' tears fall. At this stage, the chili salt seasoning seeds are hard, to extract the white gel inside, they must soak in hot water for a long time before the shell can be peeled off.
For the fruit part, one must use a knife to peel off the outer shell or use a stick or stone to crack it open before it can be eaten. People who enjoy drinking in the border region of An Giang love chili salt seasoning fruit dipped in chili salt because it helps them contemplate life. Unripe chili salt seasoning fruit has both bitter and sweet flavors. The taste of the fruit blends with the spiciness of the chili, the saltiness of the salt, and creates intermediate flavors of sourness and bitterness. Wives who know how to prepare chili salt seasoning for their husbands often receive praise from their drinking buddies.
A Folk Remedy
According to folk wisdom, soaking ripe chili salt seasoning fruit in alcohol can alleviate fatigue, aid digestion, and stimulate appetite. Its leaves, when crushed and applied to the skin, can treat various types of parasitic fungi. Additionally, the white gel inside chili salt seasoning seeds can be cooked into sweet dessert soups to relieve thirst.
Chili salt seasoning trees mainly grow naturally, and their growth period of nearly a decade brings little economic benefit, so they are gradually diminishing to make way for other cultivated plants. Although the flowers are beautiful, not many people bring them home as ornaments because the tree trunk is difficult to shape, often hollowed out by pests, and the wood quality is poor, unsuitable for woodworking.
Due to the reasons above, the chili salt seasoning flower season is gradually fading away. Children nowadays are more affluent, so they prefer cakes and candies over traditional chili salt seasoning fruit. Fallen chili salt seasoning fruit now lie untouched at the roots. Nowadays, drinking buddies prefer sophisticated flavors at restaurants rather than the rustic 'flavor of life' found near straw huts and fields next to homes. The 'culinary masterpiece' of the homeland may become a beautiful pink memory.
According to Afamily
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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide
MytourApril 11, 2017
