Sardine season

(Baonghean) - When the cotton flower buds have begun to turn orange-red, when in the early mornings, the fog covers the quiet river wharf, somewhere people have already bought specialized nets to welcome the "river fortune" season of the year. Born from the river, upstream streams, migrating down to the estuary to live, when the breeding season comes, they go upstream to the source stream, that is the shortest way to say about the cycle of sardines.

Every January, Lam River sardines begin their long journey. From Bai Ngang estuary, sardines head to Ben Thuy and then to Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan. When they reach Thanh Chuong, they give birth to new batches. The closer they get to the river and stream areas, the more fragrant and fatty the fish meat becomes. Therefore, fishermen around these areas often welcome the sardines season early in the hope of enjoying some of the blessings from their hometown, hoping to earn a little extra to support their children's education.

Casting nets on the river. Photo: Quoc Dan

Sardine season, every early morning and late afternoon, all the river wharves in Hung Nguyen and Nam Dan are always bustling with buying and selling. In the past, mothers and sisters in the area would carry baskets and trays and wait for small boats to return to buy sardines. Nowadays, traders come to order in advance, they just wait for the boats to return, weigh the fish and pay.

Sardines are not too expensive, nor too rare, but the sardine season is very short, only about a month. When the cotton flowers start to turn red, the sardines begin to migrate to the rivers and streams, and when the cotton flowers have not yet bloomed and fallen to redden the path, the tired, emaciated sardines, after giving birth, return to the river mouth with their young, ending a long, difficult and challenging mile.

Sardines are also associated with a strange legend, that every autumn, the sardines fly to the sea and turn into sardines, and then in the spring, the sardines go upstream to the forest and turn into sardines. This legend makes sardines unique and impressive to travelers who have the opportunity to set foot on the river wharf area from Bai Ngang, Ben Thuy up to Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan or Thanh Chuong of Nghe An.

Sardines have many small bones but the meat is extremely delicious and fatty, so when preparing it, housewives do not need many sophisticated spices but it is still extremely delicious and attractive. Crispy fried sardines with fish sauce, garlic, chili, and a sprig of ginger become a popular drinking dish "nho tan tra" (remember until old age). Or sardine braised with turmeric, before turning off the stove, cut in a few sprigs of Vietnamese coriander, it is a dish that goes well with rice in the gentle days of spring and early summer.

More simply, boiled sardines with a little sour tamarind or dried chay fruit and dipped in salt and chili is also an "immortal delicious" dish... Dishes made from sardines, although simple, leave an unforgettable impression on those who have enjoyed them. People from the riverside cannot forget the rich, fatty taste of sardines that lingers with the taste of the countryside and the love of the countryside every time they go far away.

One afternoon, the sun was indifferently resting on the bamboo shoots, the gentle wind brought the scent of early-season grapefruit through the window, mother carried the pot of sardine stewed with turmeric from the simple kitchen to the house across the street, the pot of mixed soup and a bowl of salted eggplant were waiting on the tray, mother scooped bowls of rice with the fragrant smell of new rice... and the children with red cheeks kept exclaiming about the fatty and spicy taste of the sardine dish, the bowls and chopsticks kept clanking nonstop...

How can we forget those meals? How can we forget the warm, happy eyes of a mother looking at her children eating delicious food? How can we forget the taste of sardines - the taste of the poor but peaceful and warm countryside?

Phuong Ngoc