Attractive gifts in Nghe An countryside

Cua Lo fish sauce

Up to now, Cua Lo town has had 6 fish sauce products recognized as meeting OCOP standards, supported in consumption, connected to the market, and shared information with customers. This further helps increase the trust and peace of mind of consumers, so that the flavor of Cua Lo fish sauce can spread throughout the countryside and be attached to every family's meal.

Cua Lo fish sauce. Photo: Duc Anh

From there, it brings joy to those who are attached to the sea all year round, attached to the fish sauce production profession, from the stages of selecting raw materials (sea fish), marinating fish, drying, stirring, draining, filtering and separating impurities to have batches of clean and delicious fish sauce, ensuring hygiene and imbued with the flavor of the sea.

Especially recentlyCua Lo fish saucewas listed by the Vietnam Record Organization in the top 100 gift specialties. The people of Cua Lo town, especially those who produce traditional fish sauce, are extremely proud that their products are recognized and honored. Thanks to that, many tourists have sought to buy Cua Lo fish sauce as gifts for their exciting trips.

Thanh Chuong pickled vegetables

Nhut is a rustic dish, serving the daily needs of the people of Nghe An. Nhut is made from familiar things such as young jackfruit, banana flower, and thinly sliced ​​bamboo shoots, mixed with salt, some spices, and then put into a jar. The ingredients are soaked in salt so they are eaten with rice, can be eaten raw, stir-fried, and cooked with fish and meat. Thanks to the salt, Nhut can be preserved for a very long time without spoiling.

Nowadays, people's livesNghe AnIn general, and Thanh Chuong district in particular, there have been many changes, so nhut is no longer a daily dish. For many people, nhut has become a specialty, and it is carried by buses to the South and the North, and in famous restaurants. Whenever they have the opportunity to stop in Nghe An, many tourists have looked to buy Thanh Chuong nhut, which has been processed and discreetly packaged.

Thanh Chuong pickled vegetables. Photo: Cong Khang

Nowadays, during the processing, the dish can be added with some spices to make it more fragrant and delicious, but the process and ingredients remain completely unchanged. Along with eel, wet cake, veal sausage, Nam Dan sauce, Thanh Chuong pickled cucumber is considered a trademark of Nghe cuisine.

In particular, along with Cua Lo fish sauce, Thanh Chuong pickled cucumber was also included in the top 100 gift specialties by the Vietnam Record Organization. The people of Thanh Chuong district are even more proud and visitors from near and far have more confidence when choosing the specialty products of this countryside.

Nam Dan Soy Sauce

“Thanh Chuong pickled mustard, Nam Dan soy sauce” is the conclusion of the ancients when talking about the top specialties of Nghe An. The main ingredients to make soy sauce are things that are close and familiar to daily life: soybeans, sticky rice or corn, salt and water mixed in a certain ratio, depending on the secret and experience of each family. Standard soy sauce is when opening the lid of the soy sauce jar, in addition to the fragrant smell, it must also have a straw yellow or cockroach brown color. At this time, if you measure it into a bottle, when it settles, you will see that the bottle of soy sauce has 3 layers. The top is beans, the middle is water and the bottom is mold.

Nam Dan Soy Sauce. Photo: Cong Khang

From a rustic dish, todayNam Dan soy saucehas become a specialty, present in luxury restaurants, following people to the South and the North. In luxury restaurants, soy sauce is considered a "catalyst" to make high-table, full-fledged parties more delicious. That is, soy sauce is used to dip vegetables, tubers, fruits and meats that are processed by boiling or rare.

Among them, we must mention the dishes of boiled meat (beef, goat, pork) dipped in soy sauce, with a few spices such as ginger and garlic. Enjoying this dish, sometimes we think that there is nothing more delicious in this world. Nam Dan district currently has 2 other quite famous specialties: Cau Don goat and Nam Nghia roasted veal. Without the flavor of soy sauce, these 2 specialties would hardly have the flavor they have.

Veal ham (tamarind)

Veal ham is also a specialty of Nam Nghia commune (Nam Dan), recently there are some processing establishments in Vinh city. This dish is made from whole veal ham marinated with spices including fish sauce, pepper, and chicken eggs. Then, it is rolled up, wrapped in leaves and steamed in a cast iron pot, boiling for about half a day.

Tourists choose to buy Nghe An veal ham. Photo: Duc Anh

With this method of preparation, veal ham retains the flavor of veal and the aroma of spices. Veal ham is often displayed on trays, feasts on holidays, New Year, weddings, and death anniversaries and can be stored for a long time. Recently, veal ham has been favored by many tourists and chosen to buy as gifts...

The advantage of veal ham is that it is carefully packaged, ensures hygiene, can be preserved for a long time and is convenient for long-distance transportation. Therefore, tourists can feel secure when choosing veal ham as a gift.

Coconut Rice Cake

Banh gai from Dua, Tuong Son commune (Anh Son) has long been considered a dish to enjoy when socializing and entertaining distinguished guests. This cake is made by the people of Tuong Son commune all year round, is considered a local specialty and is increasingly affirming its brand.

The ingredients for making gai cake include sticky rice flour, green beans, molasses, ramie leaves and dried banana leaves. The processing begins with grinding sticky rice into flour, soaking green beans in water to remove the shell, picking fresh ramie leaves, pounding them, grinding them finely and mixing them well with sticky rice flour. After that, the baker will add bean paste and a little coconut pulp to create a characteristic aroma, then wrap them in banana leaves, fill the pot and steam them. After a few hours, the cake will be cooked evenly and then taken out.

Coconut sticky rice cake. Photo: Cong Khang

Occupationsticky rice cakeof the locality has existed for a long time. Banh gai has now become an indispensable dish and gift for every diner when coming to Anh Son district. Realizing the economic efficiency of making Banh gai, many households have expanded their production and business scale, and are chosen by many customers inside and outside the province.

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Beef jerky is a traditional dish of ethnic minorities in the mountainous districts of Nghe An. This dish is prepared by cutting beef into hand-sized pieces, marinating with spices (fish sauce, pepper, ginger, garlic) and then hanging on a wood stove. The heat of the fire dries the meat and cooks it slowly, while still retaining its firmness and aroma.

When serving, just bring the grilled meat back on the stove, then visitors will enjoy a very special dish, full of flavor and identity of the highlands. In the cold weather, sitting by the fire with specialties and sipping a glass of yeast wine, it seems like there is nothing more interesting in this life.

Processing beef jerky in the highlands of Nghe An. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Nowadays, in theKy Son district, Tuong Duong, Que Phong and Quy Chau have beef jerky processing facilities to serve the needs of tourists. Like veal sausage, beef jerky is carefully processed, hygienic, has a long shelf life, so it is easy for tourists to preserve and transport, and is a "valuable" gift chosen by many tourists when coming to Nghe An.

In addition to the above specialties, visitors can choose more OCOP products of Nghe An such as spirulina, mu tun wine, herring sausage, Thanh Chuong chicken, Vinh orange, lotus tea, yellow flower tea, Shan snow tea, pure vằng tea, tapioca starch, peeled shrimp, grilled mackerel...

Processing grilled mackerel in Cua Lo town. Photo: Quang An

Up to now, Nghe An has 253 products meeting 3-5 star standards, evenly distributed throughout the province, convenient for tourists to choose and trade.