(Baonghean.vn) - Trung Hau village (Dien Van commune, Dien Chau district) has long been "famous" for its fish grilling tradition. Upon arriving in Trung Hau, the entire village is filled with the fragrant aroma of smoke and a bustling, busy atmosphere of hard work.
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| Every road in the village, every available space, is used for drying fish. Photo: Nguyen Thanh |
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| To obtain the amount of fish needed for a day's catch, around 3-4 AM, people in Trung Hau have to go to the beaches of Dien Thanh and Dien Bich (Dien Chau district) or further afield to the seaports in Cua Lo and Cua Hoi towns; Quynh Phuong and Quynh Tien (Hoang Mai town)... to buy fish. Most of them buy frozen fish from long-haul fishing boats, while a few manage to buy fresh fish caught during the night. Photo: Nguyen Thanh |
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| Before grilling, the fish must be washed clean, lightly scored with a knife, then arranged on a rack and dried. Photo: Nguyen Thanh. |
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| The fishermen are all women. Even when the outdoor temperature reaches nearly 40 degrees Celsius, they still have to sit by the charcoal stove to grill the fish. Photo: Nguyen Thanh. |
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| The fish must be grilled over medium heat. The more evenly the griller turns the fish, the more flavorful it becomes. Each day, a "grilleer" is paid 150,000-170,000 VND per person by the owner of the grill. On average, each grill in Trung Hau grills 1 ton of fish per day, employing around 10 workers. The most commonly grilled fish are herring, mackerel, scad, tuna, barracuda, spotted fish, and other types of fish... Photo: Nguyen Thanh. |
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| In Trung Hau hamlet, out of 190 households, about 20 are engaged in the business of grilling fish. In addition, in other hamlets such as Trung Phu and Yen Dong, people are also developing this profession. Many well-off families, able to provide their children with an education, owe their success to this fish grilling business. Photo: Nguyen Thanh. |
Nguyen Thanh
