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Sa Pa, situated in the high mountains with a temperate climate, stands as a century-old tourist destination. Exploring Sa Pa, visitors are presented with abundant opportunities to relish various fruit trees, flowers, and local vegetables – all unique specialties of Sa Pa that one cannot overlook.
When it comes to Sa Pa's fruit varieties, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, cat apples are often mentioned. In the higher villages, you find these, while in the warmer lower valleys, tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes, papayas, oranges, guavas, lemons, and pomelos thrive. Hence, throughout all four seasons, the Sa Pa tourist destination offers fresh and delicious fruits, making them sought-after specialties for every visitor to take home.
Peaches – a fruit that is not only delicious but also nutritious
Peaches in Sa Pa are not wild forest peaches but mostly cultivated. They are planted along the edges of forests, wastelands, and corners with suitable soil and climate conditions. These peaches grow from discarded seeds or ripe fruits left by wild animals or humans, or carried away by rainwater. The majority are indigenous peaches cultivated for over a century, commonly known as Sa Pa peaches.
Additionally, since 1960, peach varieties from Yunnan, China, have been introduced and planted in cooperative fields and gardens. While these yield larger fruits, they don't last long after harvesting. Over time, the fruits from these trees have become smaller and more acidic due to less meticulous care. Nevertheless, they still possess a unique flavor, making them a favored peach variety. During the summer months, around June and July, visitors flock to Sa Pa and enjoy buying peaches stored in woven bamboo baskets, locally known as 'peach baskets' – a Sa Pa specialty.
There's another type of peach with exceptionally large fruits, pointed tips, and a groove running along the fruit's length. The origin of this variety is unclear, but locals refer to it as 'western peaches.' Additionally, in the Mong ethnic villages, a peach type with large but slightly sour fruits is cultivated. These resilient peach trees are aptly named 'Mèo peaches,' a term reminiscent of the Mong people's ancient vernacular in the context of Sa Pa tourism.
Plump and Juicy Plums
Sa Pa boasts the most common plum variety, known as Hậu plums. These large, green fruits take on a slight yellow hue when ripe. They offer a delightful crispness, a fragrant aroma, and a gentle sweetness that leaves everyone craving for more. Similar to peach baskets, locals use woven bamboo baskets to sell plums, allowing customers to inquire and taste freely.
Not far from the town, in the Tả Van valley, there's a precious plum variety with red flesh, both soft and sweet, unique to this region. Bring them just about 10 kilometers closer to Sa Pa, and the once red plums turn sour. Around June, people often buy this specialty for soaking purposes.
After approximately six months, the plums gradually shrink, releasing their juice and starting the fermentation process. The longer they ferment, the better the plum essence becomes. When it develops a slightly bitter taste from the seeds, and the liquid turns dark red, men often mix it with white liquor, while women dilute it with water and drink it like wine. Asking for Tả Van plums - a Sa Pa specialty - at the market indicates a refined taste, as this plum variety is rare. Each household only cultivates around ten plum trees for personal consumption rather than commercial purposes.
Unique with Sa Pa's Cat Apples
In Sa Pa, there's a unique fruit known as Cat Apple. Throughout August, September, and October, the market is filled with fresh Cat Apples, while year-round, people sell Cat Apples soaked in large glass jars. These apples are soaked similarly to plums, but with less sugar. Before soaking, the skin is peeled, dipped in water to reduce bitterness, and then sun-dried on trays for surface sealing.
Specialty Cat Apples, thinly sliced and sun-dried, are considered a traditional herbal remedy, also known as 'son tra,' often used in herbal medicine for intestinal issues. According to traditional medicine, Cat Apples have a cooling nature with a slightly bitter taste, effective in treating abdominal pain and indigestion, especially during weather changes. Truly, Sa Pa's Cat Apples are both delicious and nutritious.
Cat Apples are a hardy plant, thriving in dry conditions, mountain crevices, and nutrient-poor soil. Their white flowers and spiky branches add to the plant's distinctive appearance. Although the fruit may seem a bit misshapen, it is tasty and nutritious. Almost every household in town has a jar of soaked Cat Apples, used for cooling drinks in summer and alcoholic infusions in winter. Additionally, they serve as a digestive beverage during protein-rich feasts.
Grapes – the fruit for wine soaking
In some villages and numerous farms around Sa Pa tourist destination, grapes are also cultivated. The local grape variety is a low, bushy plant with small but intensely flavorful berries. People often use this type of grape for wine soaking, producing exquisite red wine. The soaking process is similar to that of apricots and plums. After a few months, the grape pulp disintegrates, and when straining the grape essence, it must be filtered through thin cloth.
Subsequently, the grape essence jars are stored in a dark and quiet place. Over time, they undergo fermentation, becoming more delicious with prolonged aging. Before consumption, it's recommended to dilute the wine. This red wine was once highly favored by women seeking a quick weight gain remedy, making it a popular tonic during Sa Pa travels. However, it has lost popularity nowadays as people generally avoid gaining weight.
Pears – delicious but hard to harvest
In September, Sa Pa experiences pear season. Sa Pa pears grow in the forest, small in size with a slightly bitter taste, yet rich and leaving a sweet aftertaste in the throat. Amidst the pear trees are thorny shrubs, making it necessary to throw stones to harvest instead of climbing. Enjoying this truly delicious specialty is not an easy task!
More Diversity with Tropical Fruits
Looking down into the low valleys at the Sa Pa tourist destination, one can also spot numerous clusters of small banana trees around the lush, green mountain crevices. The bananas here are flat and angular, slightly more astringent than regular bananas, but in return, they are remarkably large with firm, flavorful flesh and a fragrant aroma. Papayas in this region are both large and elongated, fully ripe yet maintaining a slightly greenish skin. The wild hazelnuts of Sa Pa are exquisite, smaller than Chinese hazelnuts but distinctly more robust, establishing themselves as a local specialty in the Sa Pa area.
In addition, along the streams in the Muong Hoa valley, there are plenty of wild guavas. Although not cultivated, they produce shiny, soft, and sweet yellow fruits. In summer, birds chirp and flock together to feast on the ripe guavas.
Descending to even lower valleys like Thanh Phu and Nam Sai, there is a delicious variety of apricots. The apricots here are larger than those in Huong Tich but maintain a greenish hue instead of turning fully yellow. In the past, scattered across the mountainous alleys in this area were small apricot orchards, later adopted and cultivated by local residents.
Above are some distinctive fruit varieties found at the Sa Pa tourist destination. You can explore more about unique flowers, fruits, and vegetables in the second part of the article.
