The Muoi Ngọt Ecotourism Area (Khanh Binh Tay Bac commune, Tran Van Thoi district) is one of the choices for tourists to find traces of the forest's past and enjoy unique dishes prepared by the skillful hands of the local people.

Having experience cooking traditional delicacies since her youth, and known as a skilled woman, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Cam (wife of Mr. Muoi Ngot), originally from Tan Hung commune, Cai Nuoc district, knows how to cook many rustic dishes. With her existing experience, after moving to the melaleuca forest area (about 8 years ago), Mrs. Cam and her daughter-in-law have researched and learned to create many new and unique dishes characteristic of the region, such as: eel stewed with noni leaves, eel stir-fried with lemongrass and chili, bee salad, crispy fried bees, sour rice hot pot, grilled snakehead fish, etc.

Visiting Ca Mau after the rice harvest, tourists can experience grilling freshwater fish (snakehead fish, tilapia, etc.) using straw as a grill.

Ms. Cam shared: "When tourists enter the tourist area, they will be guided on a tour to explore the traditional beekeeping profession, then navigate through canals to dismantle traps and eel nets... The goal is to let tourists see the local produce firsthand and then process it into dishes so they will have a lasting impression. Seeing tourists enjoy delicious country-style food makes me happy."

Making such delicious dishes is not easy; it requires a process of experience. "I've gotten used to the seasoning, but I have my own secret to suit everyone's taste and to make it exactly like my mother-in-law's recipe. For example, when people from the Mekong Delta come here, I add sugar, but for people from the North, they have to order in advance to get the perfect taste, especially for the sour fish hotpot with fermented rice, which I don't add sugar to," confided Ms. Le Kieu Phien (Mrs. Cam's daughter-in-law).

One of the most unique and popular dishes among tourists is eel stewed with noni leaves. The eels are caught in traps along the canals through the mangrove forest, while the noni leaves are grown naturally…

Ms. Le Thi Lan, a tourist from Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City, said: “The highlight of this dish is the soy sauce, coconut milk, and peanuts… all of which dissolve in the mouth and linger on the tongue. Anyone who has tried it will want to come back to enjoy it again.”

The cuisine of the Melaleuca region consists of delicious dishes made from local produce, from what is considered rustic and closely associated with the lives of the people. (Photo taken at Huong Tram Tourist Area).
Grilled snakehead fish cooked over straw is an indispensable dish when visiting the Mekong Delta region. The simplicity of the dish partly reflects the pioneering spirit of our ancestors.

As for products from bees: young bees (eaten on the spot), bee salad, crispy fried bees, young bee milk soaked in rice wine... Even the stems of the stingless bees are soaked in glutinous rice wine.

Mr. Mười Ngọt said: "These are also new bee products that I came up with myself, because many tourists who come here find them fragrant, sweet, and good for health, so during the recent Tet holiday, customers ordered several hundred liters, sometimes even going as far as Ho Chi Minh City..."

When visiting U Minh, one cannot fail to mention U Minh fish sauce hotpot, which recently made it into the top 100 Vietnamese specialties. It is meticulously prepared at the Huong Tram Tourist Area (Khanh An commune, U Minh district). The captivating flavor of fermented snakehead fish sauce, combined with fresh, fragrant, firm-fleshed freshwater fish and local vegetables, has created the renowned reputation of this hotpot.

Ms. Le Hai Nghi, Deputy Director of Huong Tram Eco-tourism Area, said: “The fish sauce hotpot here is prepared meticulously, ensuring that visitors can enjoy the most authentic and unique flavor. Many visitors from Ca Mau have become addicted after trying it, and they come here with their families on weekends or days off to enjoy it.”

The people of U Minh are simple and honest, a quality not only reflected in their personalities but also in the finesse of their culinary skills. Visiting U Minh means discovering the essence of the forest, everything that belongs to it, and the people who built it.

Nhat Minh

Source: https://baocamau.vn/du-vi-xu-tram-a2679.html