Dong Nai: Land rich in products

Tan Trieu grapefruit specialty (Tan Binh commune, Vinh Cuu district) is famous far and wide for its quality.

Dong Nai also has no shortage of unique specialties made from local agricultural products and strengths that are known in the market for their delicious and safe quality.

* Variety of delicious dishes from fruits

Dong Nai has fertile soil and favorable climate, which are conditions for developing fruit growing areas that are among the top in the country. In particular, many areas are famous for delicious fruits such as: rambutan, mangosteen, Long Khanh jackfruit; An Phuoc strawberry, Long Thanh durian; Tan Trieu grapefruit...

One of the few delicious fruit products of Dong Nai that have been granted geographical indications is Tan Trieu grapefruit (Vinh Cuu district) and longan and java rambutan grown in Long Khanh city and Xuan Loc district.

The most typical and impressive specialty of the ancient Bien Hoa land is the land of Tan Trieu grapefruit, famous for its unique orange-leaf grapefruit variety. In addition to fresh grapefruit, this land also has a variety of unique specialties made from this fruit. Among them, grapefruit salad, grapefruit steamed chicken, grapefruit wine... have been listed in the Top 100 specialty dishes and Top 100 outstanding specialty gifts of 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam by the Vietnam Record Organization.

In addition to delicious dishes, Dong Nai's beverage products made from crops are also very diverse, such as grapefruit wine, red dragon fruit wine, cocoa wine... Up to now, the whole province has more than a dozen types of tea and fruit wine that have been certified as 4-star OCOP products.

According to Mr. Huynh Duc Hue, owner of Tan Trieu Nam Hue Pomelo Village Ecotourism Area (Vinh Cuu District), orange-leaf pomelo is a specialty of Tan Trieu Islet because it is grown on alluvial soil deposited from the Dong Nai River. Delicious, safe pomelos picked from the garden are fully utilized from the peel to the pulp to make many delicious dishes. Pomelo peel is used to make tea; pomelo pulp is used to cook sweet soup, pomelo milk tea, pomelo spring rolls, pomelo jam; pomelo segments are used to make pomelo salad, pomelo wine, etc. The menu of Tan Trieu Nam Hue Pomelo Village Ecotourism Area currently has more than 20 delicious dishes made from pomelos to meet the diverse culinary needs of tourists.

The delicious fruit regions in Dong Nai are also ideal destinations for tourists to visit and enjoy delicious fruits. In particular, the cuisine made from fruits is very diverse such as: mangosteen chicken salad, rambutan chicken salad, crispy fried rambutan salad, durian cake, grilled durian chicken, fruit salad, lotus grapefruit salad, banana cake, crispy rolls with durian sauce, squid with Thai jackfruit sauce...

The regions with delicious fruit specialties are also the addresses for providing honey and specialties processed with honey that are known to consumers near and far. Ms. Le Thi Thanh Thuy, owner of Trung Nguyen Honey Facility (Long Khanh City), said that since her parents-in-law have been involved in the beekeeping profession and then several brothers in the family took over the profession. The Trung Nguyen Honey Facility of her and her husband has been in the profession for more than 30 years. There are many types of honey, but Long Khanh City has rambutan flower honey that attracts consumers because of its characteristic aroma. In addition to pure honey products, consumers can buy and use many health care honey products such as: honeyed lemon, honeyed mulberry, honeyed ginger, honeyed garlic, honeyed male papaya flowers... This product line is not only popular in the domestic market but also exported well to many countries around the world .

* Abundant river products

Tri An Lake, with a water surface area of tens of thousands of hectares, is a rich and abundant source of freshwater aquatic products. Diners not only love the specialties of fresh shrimp and fish, but also the dried fish and fish cakes made from natural lake fish are also delicious, unique and strange dishes that make diners "addicted".

Ben Nom Hamlet (Phu Cuong Commune, Dinh Quan District) is a fishing port and is home to many households and establishments that dry sardines and other dried fish from fish caught and grown on Tri An Lake. This is a traditional profession that has existed for decades in the locality. In particular, dried sardines are a unique specialty, contributing to the unique mark of this craft village.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Van, owner of a dried fish processing facility in Ben Nom hamlet, shared: “I opened a restaurant in Ben Nom to serve customers from everywhere to enjoy delicious dishes made from fresh fish from Tri An lake. I have been working in the dried fish drying business for more than ten years. I make a living from this business, so I pay attention to every detail to make dried dishes that customers will remember forever after just one bite.” According to Ms. Van, to make delicious dried fish, you have to take fresh fish that has just been caught from the river, process it immediately, then marinate it with spices and put it in the refrigerator overnight to let the fish absorb the spices. After being split in half and marinated with spices, the fish is spread thinly on a net and dried on a sunny day to achieve the best aroma and taste. Because it is dried in the sun, the finished product is stored in the freezer to always keep it fresh and delicious. The way to prepare this delicious dish to enjoy is also very simple, just fry it and eat it right away or mix it into salad…

The river area in Nhon Trach, Long Thanh is famous for its brackish water products. This is a source of seafood caught in the wild for its delicious quality, so it is always highly appreciated by diners. The brackish water specialties in Nhon Trach district are concentrated in the communes of Long Tho, Phuoc An, Dai Phuoc, Phuoc Khanh. This area is near the river and not far from the sea, so it forms a brackish water area with many specialties such as: shrimp, crab, crab, octopus, carp, brown fish, mullet, catfish...

These products are available all year round but are usually more abundant during the flood season from the 7th lunar month to March and April of the following year. During this season, fish and shrimp have firmer, sweeter meat. This is also the only season of the year when diners can enjoy red crab, a famous delicacy of this land rich in products. A more popular but equally special dish in this region is the carp. According to fishermen along the river, the season of ripe cashew fruit is the time when the carp is fattest and sweetest in the year. There are many ways to prepare carp such as: grilled with scallion oil, steamed with lemongrass, cooked into porridge, stir-fried with basil leaves... But the most unique dish made from carp is soup with ripe cashew fruit that can be eaten with rice or noodles, both of which leave an unforgettable impression.

Brackish water specialties can be prepared into many delicious dishes, from simple to elaborate. But according to gourmets, the simpler the preparation of fresh seafood, the more flavorful it will be.

According to BINH NGUYEN (Dong Nai Newspaper)

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