JICA (Japan) considers supporting the promotion of Thanh Chuong pickled cucumber brand

(Baonghean.vn) -Paying attention to local specialties and facilitating clean products to reach consumers more widely is one of the purposes of Jica agricultural projects, of which Thanh Chuong pickled cucumber is an example.

Nhut is made from young jackfruit and is considered a clean vegetable in Vietnam. Photo: Dinh Ha

Nhut is a product made from jackfruit, a popular crop in Thanh Chuong. In the past, almost every family had a jar of nhut. Nhut is simply processed from young jackfruit or the fibers of green and ripe jackfruit.

For young jackfruit, after picking it from the tree, peel off the skin, wash off the sap, put it in a tray or winnowing basket. Chop it finely, then use a wooden plane or knife to cut it into thin strips, soak it in water for about a day. Then take it out, wash it, drain it and proceed to salt it.

If made from ripe jackfruit, after cutting the jackfruit, boil the segments, then put the fiber in a mortar and pound with a little salt. If made from ripe jackfruit fiber, after eating all the segments, the fiber is salted.

Jackfruit is sliced ​​to make pickled vegetables. Photo: Dinh Ha

There are 3 types of ingredients to make pickled jackfruit, but the way to pickle pickled jackfruit is basically the same: spread the jackfruit fibers out, sprinkle salt on them, and knead them thoroughly with your hands so that the salt is absorbed evenly into the jackfruit fibers. Next, put them in a jar with spices such as peeled and chopped sugarcane, ginger leaves, and lemongrass. After putting them in the jar, cover them with a bamboo or rattan woven grid, then use a clean stone to press down on them to keep the pickled jackfruit from floating above the water.

Thanh Chuong pickled jackfruit eaten raw with perilla leaves. Photo from the internet

Nhut can be processed into many dishes, the simplest is dried Nhut, dipped in fish sauce (made from soy sauce and crushed roasted peanuts, added with chili, garlic, sugar), served with Vietnamese basil. Nhut can also be processed into a salad mixed with roasted peanuts, Vietnamese basil, garlic and some other spices or salad with pork belly, pig ears... In the summer, it can be cooked with freshwater fish or crushed peanuts to make a sour soup to cool down.

From a rustic dish in the process of development and integration in recent years, Thanh Chuong pickled jackfruit is also a very typical product to sell to tourists. This advantage has created a team of professional pickled jackfruit makers and traders. Pickled jackfruit sold on the market is mainly made from young jackfruit.

In Thanh Chuong, there are currently nearly 200 pickled mustard production facilities supplying the market. Photo: Dinh Ha

In Thanh Chuong, there are currently about 200 establishments producing and selling jackfruit to the market. There is not enough young jackfruit on the spot, so the jackfruit makers hire cars to buy raw materials from neighboring districts such as Tan Ky and Anh Son. According to Mr. Tran Dinh Quang - a jackfruit maker in Thanh Linh commune, he has to hire people in Tan Ky to buy and collect young jackfruit to transport to Thanh Chuong.

Making pickled mustard is quite busy, but each jar of pickled mustard is sold for 50,000 VND, which also brings the family a stable income of 5 to 10 million VND.

Good news for Thanh Chuong pickled cucumber is that the provincial Agricultural Extension Center is coordinating with Thanh Chuong district and the Department of Industry and Trade to build the project "Developing the Thanh Chuong pickled cucumber brand value chain" to enhance the Thanh Chuong pickled cucumber brand.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quy Linh - Director of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, the project's host unit, "If this project is successful, it will receive funding from JICA". Currently, the project has also come to learn about this product along with Thanh Chuong chicken specialty./.

Tran Dinh Ha

(Thanh Chuong Radio)