Pumpkin is a very familiar vegetable to housewives, sold everywhere in the market. The price of pumpkins ranges from 10,000-25,000 VND/kg depending on the time, sometimes even having to "rescue" pumpkins for 2,000-5,000 VND/kg.

However, for over a week now, a type of pumpkin with a small, green skin, advertised as having a chestnut flavor, has suddenly become a hot topic on the online market. Because of its special flavor, this Jeju pumpkin is also called chestnut pumpkin by sellers.

According to traders, this type of squash can be eaten with the skin. When steamed or baked, the squash will be soft, sweet and have a nutty aroma. Squash can be used as weaning food for children or dishes for adults.

In particular, many people heard the name Jeju squash (a famous island in Korea) and its very new flavor, so they were curious and rushed to order it to eat despite its extremely expensive price.

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Jeju pumpkin with a fragrant chestnut scent is causing a fever on the "online market". Photo: NVCC

On online markets, chestnut squash is sold in boxes of 5-6 fruits/box. Each box weighs about 2.2-2.5kg, priced at 220,000-240,000 VND/box. In total, each 1kg of chestnut squash costs about 100,000 VND, 4-10 times more expensive than Vietnamese pumpkin. Some retailers sell each fruit at about 40,000 VND/fruit.

"I was also curious about this chestnut pumpkin so I bought a box to try," said Ms. Phan Thi Giang in Bui Huy Bich (Hoang Mai, Hanoi ).

After receiving the goods, last night, she steamed 2 of them. When she ate them, she found the pumpkin soft, sweet, but the chestnut flavor was not very clear. Not to mention, compared to pumpkins sold at the market, the price of this type of pumpkin is too expensive, so Ms. Giang only bought it once to try.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhu (a fruit dealer in Cau Giay, Hanoi) admitted that this type of squash has only appeared on the market for a week. The price of squash is relatively high, so most customers only buy it to try because they are curious about its chestnut flavor.

“Although they were all first-time customers, the sales volume was quite good.” Ms. Nhu said that her first shipment only had 50 boxes and they were sold out in 2 days. But after that, Jeju squash suddenly became a hit, and the number of customers ordering squash also increased sharply.

For the past two days, I have sold about 100 boxes of pumpkins a day. Some customers buy the whole box, others buy half a box (3 pumpkins). So, the goods arrive early in the morning and are sold out by late afternoon.

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Although the name is Jeju squash, the products sold in the Vietnamese market are all imported from China. Photo: NVCC

After selling the world's most delicious Jeju squash, which has a fragrant chestnut aroma and a sweet, crumbly taste in the morning, for 220,000 VND/box and the first 30 people will be able to buy it for 200,000 VND/box, Ms. Thu Quynh - an online order closing employee of a large fruit system in Hanoi - said that housewives rushed to place orders.

From morning until now, in addition to Ms. Quynh, there are 2 other employees who specialize in closing orders for this chestnut squash for shippers to deliver to customers. Accordingly, in less than a day of posting for sale, nearly 300 boxes of squash have been purchased.

When asked about the origin of chestnut pumpkin, Ms. Quynh said that because the name is Jeju pumpkin, many people mistakenly think it is a Korean pumpkin grown on Jeju Island. Most of the sellers also only say Jeju pumpkin or chestnut pumpkin.

However, this is just a pumpkin variety originating from Jeju Island, imported to China and grown on a large scale. On this occasion, traders imported pumpkins to sell in Vietnam and immediately caused a fever in the market because of its new flavor. Therefore, this pumpkin is a Chinese product, not an imported product from Korea.

“Today I closed the order for a customer, many people asked if it was Korean goods. We all had to answer that it was Chinese,” said Ms. Quynh.

In addition, she also recommends that squash should be baked and steamed for a moderate amount of time. If steamed for too long, the squash will become mushy and not as soft and delicious as advertised.

In just a few years, China has turned a 'noble' fruit into a cheap commodity . With the guidance of a Japanese expert, China has successfully grown a type of milk grape that is world-famous for its delicious taste. After a few years of expanding the growing area, this "noble" grape has become a cheap commodity in the Vietnamese market.