Yen Tu bamboo shoots are a specialty harvested from the Yen Tu mountains in Quang Ninh province.
During the Yen Tu festival season, visitors are treated to the delicious and fragrant bamboo shoots, a unique specialty of Uong Bi district, Quang Ninh province.
Bamboo shoots can be prepared in various dishes such as soup, grilled, stir-fried with goat or seasoned with chili and salt. Yen Tu bamboo shoots are slender but very firm. After harvesting, they can be thinly sliced or cut into short pieces about 2 finger joints long, then vertically chopped, washed thoroughly, and stir-fried with goat or beef. The seasoning for this dish includes celery, fresh onions, and a pinch of pepper. Many types of bamboo shoots can be used for this dish, but none are as delicious and sweet as Yen Tu bamboo shoots. The special thing is that after cooking, this type of bamboo shoots hardly retains the pungent smell of fresh bamboo shoots, nor the bitterness like many other types of bamboo shoots.
Yen Tu bamboo shoots are not abundant, but they are delicious thanks to the chili bamboo shoot paste. Thinly sliced bamboo shoots, mixed with vinegar, plenty of fresh chili, sugar, seasoning, and a few honeycomb seeds along with some secrets that not everyone knows.
With this type of bamboo shoots, you can also leave the entire sheath, dip it in boiling water, then grill it over charcoal until the sheath is slightly burnt. Peel off the sheath, the aroma of the bamboo shoots will spread out, dip it in sesame salt, and enjoy the cool and clean taste. Anyone with a heart going to Yen Tu, just eating bamboo shoots with rice balls will feel warm.
Yen Tu bamboo shoots are not available every season. Therefore, going on a pilgrimage to Yen Tu festival without enjoying this specialty is truly a waste.
Yen Tu Bamboo Shoots
Locally harvested bamboo shoots for saleIn the season of spring, the temperate climate of the mountainous region brings forth a refreshing atmosphere. Lush greenery adorns the landscape, with wild vegetables sprouting amidst the forest canopy. After tending to their fields, the highland locals embark on foraging expeditions, seeking to enrich their meals with forest greens. Among these, the favored choice is
fern shoots, resembling miniature ferns with sprawling foliage.
Fern shoots stand out as a delicacy of Yen Tu mountain forests. Not only are they cherished for their distinct flavor, but they also hold medicinal properties, addressing common ailments such as colds, coughs, sore throats, promoting urination, and combating constipation. In some cultures, extracts of these ferns are consumed by women postpartum. They are also incorporated into various culinary dishes worldwide, whether blanched, simmered in soups, stir-fried with meat, or enjoyed raw in salads.
During harvest, only the tender, curled shoots resembling elephant trunks, approximately the length of a hand, are selected. Fern shoots possess a slightly viscous texture, hence requiring a brief blanching before culinary preparation.
Fern shoots lend themselves to a plethora of delectable dishes, ranging from simple to intricate, their flavor profiles capable of captivating even the most discerning palates.
Freshly harvested fern shoots
Fern shoot saladA special treat that once tasted, leaves an indelible mark with its exquisite blend of ingredients in every bite of lam sweet rice cake. The chewy aroma of glutinous rice flour, the gradual spread of sweetness, accompanied by a hint of spiciness from ginger and the rich nuttiness of peanuts.
A bite of lam sweet rice cake encapsulates the flavors of the countryside, complemented by a sip of warm, aromatic tea, distinctive of Bac Giang province. In that moment, time seems to stand still, and life feels simple, rustic, yet brimming with sweetness, much like the essence of lam sweet rice cake.
Specialty lam sweet rice cake
Cake to accompany teaAmong honey connoisseurs, forest honey is esteemed as the finest quality. It is believed to possess medicinal properties due to its sourcing from various wildflowers, many of which have medicinal properties. Although there is no specific scientific research, based on sensory perception, forest honey exudes a fragrant aroma and a subtly sweet, long-lasting flavor, distinct from cultivated honey. Perhaps this is the only way to distinguish between forest honey and cultivated honey.
The product Yen Tu Forest Honey is currently packaged in 500ml glass bottles, priced at 150,000 VND/500ml; widely distributed in OCOP stores across the region. When visiting Yen Tu, Yen Tu Forest Honey is undoubtedly a sweet gift that every traveler would want to present to their friends and loved ones.
Yen Tu Forest Flower Honey
Bottled HoneyExcessive alcohol consumption can be harmful to health, but indulging in medicinal wines with just a sip or two daily can have the opposite effect. In Yen Tu, there's a local specialty highly esteemed by travelers, known as Yen Tu Plum Wine.
Yen Tu Plum Wine is crafted using a fermentation process involving fresh plums and sometimes honey. During March and April each year, plums are soaked and distilled, with each region boasting its own unique recipe for plum wine. Consequently, Yen Tu Plum Wine offers a variety of enticing flavors, while still retaining the natural essence of plum and the sweetness of honey.
Plums soaking in wine
Plum wine bottled for distributionYen Tu Betel Leaf, also known simply as betel leaf, is a type of plant unique to Yen Tu, Quang Ninh. Betel thrives at altitudes of 500 - 600m above sea level, in steep mountain slopes or under the canopy of lowland forests.
The betel leaf is soaked in alcohol along with various other ingredients such as galangal, ginger, clove, and ginseng, creating a medicated oil effective in treating colds, flu, wind invasion, and joint pain.
These gifts carry the spirit of the land and people of Yen Tu, natural products processed in a simple yet captivating manner, enough to captivate weary travelers. Returning to Yen Tu, returning to the mystical sacred land, remember to purchase these special gifts from this place.
Yen Tu Betel Leaf Massage Oil
Massage oil made from Yen Tu betel leaves7. Quang Yen Fermented Pork Roll
When it comes to Fermented Pork Roll, people often think of Thanh Hoa, yet for the people of Quang Ninh, their minds drift to Quang Yen.
Quang Yen Fermented Pork Roll is larger and rounder than the Thanh Hoa variety. The ingredients for this dish are humble and common. Pork skin is finely shredded, white as snow, mixed with roasted ground mung beans or rice and crushed roasted peanuts, all blended together to perfection. Though seemingly simple, through the secret preparation method, thorough mixing, and sauce blending, these countryside delicacies become uniquely delicious and alluring. The rows of Fermented Pork Rolls are the pride of the people of Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh. If you have the chance to travel to Yen Tu, visitors should stop by to savor Quang Yen Fermented Pork Roll and compare these two rustic yet mouthwatering delicacies. Don't forget to buy some as gifts as well.
Quang Yen Fermented Pork Roll
Quang Yen Fermented Pork Roll
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