Top 5 must-buy specialties when visiting Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - Nghe An is not only a land with many scenic spots but also attracts tourists with its famous cuisine. Nghe An cuisine is simple and wholesome, but over time, its irresistible taste has been elevated to a specialty, an indispensable souvenir for every visitor returning home.
Cam Vinh
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| Vinh oranges are a well-known brand far and wide. Photo: Thanh Cuong |
Vinh oranges have long been a famous brand of Nghe An province, favored by consumers. Many localities throughout the country grow oranges, but Vinh oranges are special with their thin peel, golden-yellow segments, and sweet, fragrant taste that visitors will surely never forget after just one taste.
Nghe An province has many orange-growing regions such as Con Cuong oranges, Quy Hop oranges, Nghi Loc commune oranges, Yen Thanh oranges, Thanh Chuong oranges... The sweet and wholesome taste of Nghe An oranges has even found its way into poetry.
"Cam Xã Đoài is very juicy."
A drop of gold, like honey.
Peel the oranges outside the front door.
The fragrance wafted into the house.
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| Cam Xã Đoài oranges are priced at 70,000 VND per fruit. Photo: Lâm Tùng |
The rare Xa Doai oranges from Nghi Loc are so precious that they are sold by the fruit, not by weight, and even if you want to buy a lot, it's impossible. Currently, Xa Doai orange orchards are publicly advertising prices from 70,000 to 100,000 VND per fruit. However, buying many Xa Doai oranges is very difficult because all the trees have already been pre-ordered. At the ongoing Vinh Orange Fair, the Xa Doai orange shop stipulates that each person can only buy a maximum of 5 oranges.
Furthermore, for other types of oranges, this is the peak season for orchards, and prices are very stable. Vinh oranges now also have electronic traceability labels, so tourists don't have to worry about buying fake, counterfeit, or low-quality oranges.
Tuong Nam Dan
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| Nam Dan soy sauce is a rustic, traditional specialty. Photo: Provincial Tourism Promotion Center. |
When it comes to soy sauce, many tourists, especially those from the North, immediately think of Hung Yen's banh soy sauce. However, Nghe An also has a type of soy sauce that is equally famous: Nam Dan soy sauce.
It's not a gourmet dish, but once you've tried this dipping sauce, you'll surely never forget its unique flavor. Nam Dan soy sauce is the culmination of simple, rustic ingredients, grown on the peaceful fields and alluvial plains of the 5 Nam region.
The beans used to make soy sauce must be small, like peppercorns, with a rich and nutty flavor. The salt must also be fine, white, and free of impurities. In many regions, the water used to make soy sauce is also selected from the clearest, sweetest wells. Many traditional soy sauce makers say that all ingredients must be absolutely clean and natural; otherwise, the batch of soy sauce will fail!
Currently, Nam Dan soy sauce is bottled, fully labeled, and widely sold in the traditional soy sauce-making village itself, or around the Kim Lien Historical Site.
Nhut Thanh Chuong
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| Visiting Nghe An without trying "Thanh Chuong fermented bamboo shoots" is a major oversight. Photo: Provincial Tourism Promotion Center. |
It's unclear when exactly, but the saying "Nhút Thanh Chương, tương Nam Đàn" has become a defining characteristic, affirming these two delicacies as top specialties of Nghe An province. Many even say that if you visit Nghe An and haven't tasted nhút and tương, it's like you haven't really been there!
Nhút is a simple, familiar dish enjoyed by many families in Nghe An province. The ingredients are very simple, mainly young jackfruit and white salt; however, the secret lies in the skill of the person making it. On a cold day, eating hot rice with a plate of stir-fried nhút sprinkled with roasted peanuts, or nhút and jackfruit soup with snakehead fish, is absolutely delicious!
Currently, to meet the needs of a large number of customers, households in Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, etc., have turned pickled bamboo shoots into a marketable product. The price of a jar of pickled bamboo shoots varies depending on its weight, but it's not expensive at all. Packaged in airtight boxes, it's a perfect rustic souvenir to bring home after a trip.
Fish sauce
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| Fish sauce products from the coastal areas of Nghe An province are sold in many stores throughout the province, making it convenient for tourists to buy them as souvenirs. Photo: Provincial Tourism Promotion Center. |
Fish sauce is a product found in many coastal areas of Nghe An province, from Cua Lo, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu... Each region, depending on the family recipe, type of fish, type of salt, etc., has a different flavor of this dipping sauce. However, anyone who has ever tried fish sauce from the coastal areas of Nghe An cannot help but praise it.
Fermented fish sauce is the essence distilled from batches of fish that have been marinated for months, even years, and in many cases, even buried underground. Using fermented fish sauce in any dish makes it delicious, rich in flavor and aroma.
Cua Lo mackerel
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| Cua Lo mackerel. Photo: Provincial Tourism Promotion Center. |
Grilled mackerel from Cua Lo is definitely a must-try dish when visiting this coastal region, and once you've tried it, you'll surely want to buy some as a souvenir!
Many people have exclaimed that while mackerel can be found in any sea, the mackerel from Cua Lo is so fragrant, sweet, and not fishy at all. Its flesh is firm yet tender, and its rich, oceanic flavor makes it incredibly appetizing with rice.
Nowadays, Cua Lo mackerel products are packaged using vacuum technology, ensuring food safety and hygiene, cleanliness, and convenience for tourists to take with them.
