Top 5 Mountain Delicacies You Should Know How to Buy Safely

During the harvest season, local villagers head into the forest to collect bamboo shoots, which are then dried and sold to people in the lowlands, tourists, or used to enhance their own meals. After harvesting, the shoots are cleaned, sliced into bite-sized pieces, and sun-dried. On rainy days, the shoots are hung above the kitchen stove to dry using smoke.

To select the best bamboo shoots, look for those with a rich brown or golden yellow color. Choose small pieces, around 2.5cm by 10cm, and especially avoid those that have been salted, as this will help retain the natural flavor and reduce the time needed for boiling and softening. Typically, fresh bamboo shoots need to be boiled first to remove their bitterness and toxins, while dried bamboo shoots can be soaked in rice water or hot water to speed up the cooking process and soften them. With the right technique and careful preparation, you can create delicious dishes from dried bamboo shoots that will please the whole family.

Hawthorn fruit is a local specialty found in the mountainous regions of northern provinces such as Sơn La, Hà Giang, and Mù Cang Chải. This fruit has many health benefits, especially when used to make wine or vinegar. Drinks made from hawthorn fruit are known to be good for the liver and digestive system. As the season arrives, hawthorn fruit always attracts attention, but nowadays, imported Chinese hawthorn is sold at a lower price. Consumers must learn to distinguish between authentic Vietnamese hawthorn and the Chinese variety to fully experience the unique flavor of this highland fruit.

Genuine Vietnamese hawthorn has a rough, green skin, while the Chinese version has a smooth, glossy exterior and is larger in size. In terms of taste, authentic hawthorn from the northwest has a sour, slightly astringent flavor that isn't overly sweet. On the other hand, Chinese hawthorn is softer, with a spongy texture; unripe fruits are extremely bitter, while ripe ones are very sweet. As for firmness, authentic Vietnamese hawthorn is very firm and remains solid even when dried, while Chinese hawthorn becomes soft to the touch and will dent when pressed.

However, a challenge arises as the number of local hawthorn growers is decreasing, leading to high transportation costs and lower profits. As a result, some sellers mix Vietnamese and Chinese hawthorn together to increase their profits. This makes it difficult for consumers to choose the best fruit, so it's essential to inspect each piece carefully to ensure you're purchasing the highest quality product.

Wild meat, particularly wild boar meat, is a popular delicacy among local consumers. During the Lunar New Year, the demand for wild boar meat increases significantly, as it is believed to bring good luck or is often given as a gift to family members or colleagues. However, with the surge in demand during the festive season, counterfeit wild meat has also become widespread, leading to concerns about its authenticity. Consumers must learn how to distinguish genuine wild boar meat to avoid wasting money or consuming fake products.

Authentic wild boar meat has thick, tough skin with little fat, and the boar's snout is long and firm due to its digging behavior in search of food. The ears are smaller than those of farm-raised pigs, with tightly spaced pores, and its legs are muscular and sturdy, while the eye sockets are larger. In terms of color, wild boar fur is a pale grayish-black, unlike the rosy hue of farm pigs, and the meat has a distinct, strong odor before it is cooked.

One easy way to identify genuine wild boar meat is by examining the hair pattern on the skin, as real wild boars have three hairs grouped together in one spot. Some vendors take advantage of this feature by using tools to implant fake hairs into the skin. To check for authenticity, consumers should try pulling the hair from the meat. If it comes off easily, it is likely fake.

Remember these distinguishing characteristics to easily differentiate between genuine and fake wild boar meat to protect your health. A useful tip for home cooks is to invest in an ozone machine to remove any harmful substances from the meat, ensuring the highest level of safety when preparing dishes.

Currently, the market offers a wide variety of honey, including forest honey, farmed honey, and even chemically produced honey, so consumers must be very cautious when selecting honey. Here are a few tips to help you distinguish real honey from fake or adulterated versions:

• Tip 1: Take a spoonful of honey and stir it with chopsticks. If the honey remains clear and golden, it is pure. If it forms bubbles or residue after stirring, it has likely been adulterated with other substances.
• Tip 2: You can also test the honey by feeling it with your finger. Pure honey will feel smooth and soft, with a sweet, refreshing taste. Fake honey, on the other hand, will feel grainy or thick and will have a harsh, overly sweet flavor.
• Tip 3: Real honey will often have bubbles of air on top of the jar, like carbonated bubbles. If the honey is spoiled or fake, it will produce sour, fermented bubbles.

Try these methods to ensure you're purchasing genuine honey. There are other traditional ways to test honey, but these three tips are the simplest and most reliable for spotting real honey.

Reishi mushrooms are commonly used for their medicinal properties and health benefits. Here's how to distinguish genuine Reishi mushrooms from fake ones to ensure you're getting high-quality products. The underside of a real Reishi mushroom has a pale, off-white or light yellow color, while the top is a deep red, hard, and shiny. Fake Reishi mushrooms may have a yellowish coating on the bottom but lack the glossy finish, and sometimes you'll see small holes as if they've been eaten by pests.

When you feel the mushroom, real Reishi mushrooms will have a smooth, fine texture on the cut surface of the stem, with visible spores. Fake mushrooms will lack this fine texture and the natural spore layer, and the surface will feel rough and unnatural. Be sure to carefully examine the mushrooms to avoid buying counterfeit products.