Honey Sauce - Specialty of Cà Mau

Honey sauce, one of nature's gifts bringing a unique value not only to Cà Mau specifically but also to the whole country.

Honey Sauce - Specialty of Cà Mau

The U Minh Ha Forest, Cà Mau, is known as the place where wild honey is harvested, besides collecting honey, this place also produces a delicious specialty that captivates food enthusiasts, it's honey sauce.

After harvesting the honeycombs, the remaining young bees and larvae are processed into various dishes, including honey sauce which is a specialty. When the honeycombs are brought back, they are cut into pieces and put into boiling water. At this point, the cook must stir evenly to ensure the bees are cooked but not crushed, and the wax is melted. The cooked bees are then removed and drained. Next, salt is added to the bees before putting them in a tightly covered box to dry in the sun. When the salt is evenly absorbed, they are mixed with toasted rice flour for fragrance and poured back into the box. The box is tightly sealed with thin strips of fresh coconut leaves and sun-dried for about 3-4 days until the bees turn a light yellow color and are ready to eat.

Honey sauce is a dish that must be consumed within a week. However, it can be kept for up to a month if stored in the refrigerator's cool compartment. Local residents say that young bees are often used to make salads or grilled with sponge gourd leaves before someone tries making honey sauce.

Honey sauce with its distinctive flavor can be transformed into many exquisite dishes: The simplest way to enjoy honey sauce is to pick up each piece and eat it with cold rice, guava, tamarind... For a proper honey sauce experience, additional side dishes such as bitter bananas, khom, braised coriander, chili, and sung leaves should be prepared. Using chopsticks to pick up a piece of honey sauce, sandwiching it between slices of cucumber, bitter banana, and sung leaves for a slow chew will bring out the creamy, rich taste of the honey, the bitterness of the banana and leaves, the fragrance of the braised coriander, and the crisp sweetness of the cucumber blending with the distinctive aroma of toasted rice flour...

Or mix honey sauce with white rice, the rich and salty taste of honey when eaten with rice is very palatable, eating it with a little pickled cucumber will enhance the special deliciousness of the dish. Honey sauce can also be prepared by wrapping it in sponge gourd leaves, young sunflower leaves then grilling evenly over charcoal until golden brown, then you can enjoy this special dish right away.

According to Mytour

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Reference: Travel Handbook Mytour