Indulge in Hà Giang's specialty during buckwheat season

Exploring the rocky plateau, visitors are not only captivated by the majestic yet romantic scenery here, but also drawn to numerous delicious and unique specialties.

Savoring Hà Giang's specialty during buckwheat season

1. Buckwheat triangle cake

Just the name itself arouses much excitement. Admiring Sủng Là, Lũng Cú... radiant in the season of flowers, don't miss the chance to taste a whole season of pink and purple ecstasy. Buckwheat triangle cake is made from a grain that few bother to venture up to Hà Giang to notice amidst the myriad blossoms.

The cake is soft and fluffy, requiring slow nibbles to savor its sweet, lingering taste. Not as refreshing as rice flour, buckwheat flour has a subtle, slightly earthy flavor, hinting at the distinctive essence of the forest.

Steamed cakes are cooked over an open fire, still warm when they reach the hands of buyers. A large piece of cake, about the size of two adult hands, costs 10,000 dong. The H'mong people often buy buckwheat triangle cakes at the market to eat with fermented pork, similar to how they eat corn cakes, rice cakes, or seven-colored sticky rice.

2. Bac Me bamboo tube rice

Bac Me bamboo tube rice is cooked by putting it in bamboo tubes or bamboo cylinders and grilling it over charcoal or firewood. People of various ethnic groups often make this dish to bring with them when working in the fields, as it is both convenient and easy to preserve.

The process of making Bac Me bamboo tube rice is simple and inexpensive. The main ingredient is good glutinous rice grown in the fields, soaked thoroughly in water. Choosing the right rice is crucial as it largely determines the deliciousness and aroma of the bamboo tube rice. The soaked glutinous rice is cleaned, drained, and mixed evenly with a little salt.

Each ethnic group in each region has its own way of preparing it into a unique flavor, but Bac Me bamboo tube rice of the Tay people carries a distinct, rich flavor, leaving a lasting impression on visitors.

3. Grilled moss

Grilled moss is an indispensable specialty of Ha Giang in the meals of the Tay ethnic people, in Xuan Giang commune. It's a unique, delicious dish with a very distinctive flavor. Fresh moss is collected by the Tay ethnic people from the crevices under the stream, thoroughly cleaned and squeezed to remove all the slime before processing.

4. Mountainous porridge

When visiting Ha Giang, you may have the opportunity to enjoy delicious and nutritious mountainous porridge. Mountainous porridge is available all year round and is only sold in the evening. According to the longstanding experience of the local people, porridge is most effective before bedtime. A bowl of mountainous porridge is like a magical medicine that relieves the fatigue of the day, ensuring a deep and refreshing sleep.

Cooking a bowl of porridge is intricate and involves many steps. The ấu tẩu tuber is soaked in glutinous rice water overnight, then thoroughly washed and simmered for over 4 hours until the tuber is soft and sticky. Fragrant unpolished rice, mixed with a little glutinous rice, gives the porridge a thick consistency.

The ấu tẩu tuber powder is cooked with rice and broth simmered from pork knuckle. Finally, when served, add chicken eggs, chili, pepper, shallots, coriander, and mint leaves to enhance the sweet aroma of the porridge. The secret to the delicious taste of porridge also depends on the recipe of each restaurant.

5. Mint honey

This is a specialty of Ha Giang that anyone who comes here wants to get their hands on. Mint honey captivates and enchants travelers not only with its rich, sweet, gentle, delicious, and nutritious taste and unique aroma but above all, it is the essence of the mountain, along with the countless hardships of the H'mong people in the rocky plateau.

Mint honey is produced by the H'mong people using traditional methods, mainly from mint flowers and some species of wild herbs. The product has a pale green color, mixed with a hint of light yellow, with its own distinctive aroma, sweet and cool taste, and dense texture... Its price is much higher than other types of honey. Moreover, the annual production of mint honey is not much, it is not sold at the market like other things, so it's difficult to find this unique specialty.

6. Hearth-smoked buffalo meat

For generations, hearth-smoked buffalo and pork have become indispensable dishes and specialties of Ha Giang that travelers cannot miss when they come here.

People often choose good buffalo meat, then cut it lengthwise into long pieces like pencils, smoked with the smoke from firewood from the mountains. With the finished buffalo meat, the smell of smoke is almost intact, but it does not cause discomfort. The meat is marinated with salt, ginger, chili, and wild pepper. Then, the meat is hung on the hearth, smoked with firewood from the forest. Hung on the hearth for two months, the buffalo meat turns black and dry, absorbing all the spices. On the surface, there are still peppercorns, chili pieces, ginger pieces...

The price of hearth-smoked buffalo meat is about 700,000 to 800,000 dong per kg.

7. Thang Co

It would be a miss if you visit Ha Giang without tasting Thang Co. When you come to Dong Van Market, drinking corn wine and eating Thang Co has become an integrated activity of the locals and tourists exploring this Northwest province.

Made from horse or cow meat and organs, sautéed and boiled continuously for many hours, Thang Co dish easily reminds people of the Southern-style pha lau. However, Thang Co - a specialty of Ha Giang - comes with mountainous spices like herbs, dổi seeds, ginger...

8. Thang Den

Everyone who visits Dong Van wants to taste Thang Co at least once, a dish only available during market sessions. Yet, sitting by the fire in the winter breeze and enjoying a bowl of Thang Den right in the town center, nothing can be warmer and more enjoyable.

Thang Den resembles Hanoi's banh troi tau or Lang Son's banh cong, made from glutinous rice flour, can be vegetarian or stuffed with bean paste. Each dough ball is kneaded slightly larger than the tip of the thumb, boiled in broth until floating, then scooped out by the owner with salt.

The deliciousness of Thang Den lies in the bowl of broth, infused with a sweet blend of sugar, creamy coconut milk, and the spicy kick of hot ginger. You can sprinkle sesame seeds or peanuts to add more richness to the dish. Diners often pop one or two Thang Den balls into their mouths, savoring the sweet creaminess of the sugar, the spicy warmth of fresh ginger, and the nutty richness of sesame or peanuts.

Continued...

According to Zing News

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Reference: Travel guide by Mytour