Abalone is causing a sensation on online marketplaces, selling for double the usual price.

Enjoying the last of the wild macadamia nuts she had just bought from a street vendor, Ms. Phuong Minh Chau from Huynh Thuc Khang Street (Dong Da District, Hanoi) shared that in the past few days, while browsing social media, she had seen wild macadamia nuts being sold everywhere. Their appearance isn't particularly appealing, with rough skin and small, plum-like fruits. However, people describe the taste of this fruit as incredibly unique.

This morning, on my way to work, I saw a street vendor selling star fruit and stopped to buy some. Initially, I only intended to buy 200-300 grams to try. Unexpectedly, after tasting one, I was so captivated by its flavor that I bought a whole kilogram for 80,000 dong.

Ms. Chau is a big fan of fresh fruit. Normally, the outer peel of fruit is tasteless, but the peel of the macadamia nut has a sweet taste. The fruit is crunchy, with a slightly sour and astringent initial taste, followed by a sweet finish. Just one macadamia nut, and even 10 minutes later, you can still feel the sweet, refreshing taste in your throat. Dipping it in salt further enhances its flavor.

"Eating mac kham feels like eating a candied plum. However, mac kham is crunchy and fresh, so it tastes better," Ms. Chau shared.

In the past few days, wild tamarind has unexpectedly become a sensation on online marketplaces. Wild tamarind (also known as forest tamarind) is being sold across various online markets, advertised as having a sweet outer shell, a slightly sour and astringent taste, and a sweet aftertaste.

These wild berries are priced between 60,000 and 80,000 VND per kilogram.

Ms. Dinh Thi Ngan, an online fruit vendor in Thanh Xuan (Hanoi), admitted that sales of mac kham (a type of wild fruit) have increased sharply in the past few days. She explained that mac kham is a wild fruit abundant in the mountainous regions of Lang Son, Cao Bang, and Ha Giang provinces. From September each year, people often go into the forest to pick mac kham to sell because it is delicious and has many health benefits.

"At the beginning of the season, I sold green macadamia nuts for only 30,000-35,000 VND/kg. Now, in the middle of the season, the ripe macadamia nuts are priced at 70,000 VND/kg, double the price," she said. However, she still sells 80-90kg of macadamia nuts every day.

According to Ms. Ngan, most customers only order 1-2 kg to try out of curiosity. Regular customers usually order 3-5 kg ​​because this fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for quite a long time. Besides eating it fresh, mac kham can also be processed into many different dishes such as: marinated mac kham, mac kham with salt and chili, mac kham soaked in sugar... "I've been selling mac kham for 4 years now, but this is the first time I've seen mac kham selling so well," she said.

Mr. Bui Trung Hieu, a wholesaler of mac kham (a type of wild fruit) in Lang Son, shared that on some days he sells nearly 1 ton of the product.

In the Lang Son region, locals go into the mountains to pick mac kham (a type of wild fruit), and Hieu's family buys it back. In previous years, he didn't sell much fresh mac kham because few people ate it. Therefore, he usually uses the mac kham he buys from the locals to make pickled mac kham, similar to pickled eggplant.

The longer the pickled fruit is left to marinate, the better it tastes; it can be stored in the refrigerator for several months. However, once the fruit is marinated, he sells it wholesale to distributors in the provinces, with customers from Hanoi making up the majority.

This year, the wholesale supply of fresh star anise has increased significantly. In particular, from the end of November until now, he has sold two-thirds of the stock he collected to his customers, with the remainder being preserved and canned for sale.

"Wholesale buyers say that the 'mắc kham' fruit is causing a sensation, with many people buying it fresh, so the amount they import has increased," Mr. Hieu said. According to him, when eating fresh, you should choose 'mắc kham' fruits with rough skin. These are mature fruits that are guaranteed to be crispy, with a slightly sour and astringent taste and a sweet aftertaste. The rough skin of the 'mắc kham' also has a unique, subtly sweet flavor. Fruits with green skin are more sour and are suitable for marinating.