The fruit that once ripened and fell without anyone noticing is now a popular summer specialty.

The dragon fruit is a familiar fruit in Phu Tho , used to create a sour taste in the summer heat-relieving sour soup. According to research, this fruit is spherical, light green when young, and dark green when old, with a hard shell. The dragon fruit turns yellow when ripe.

Phu Tho people said that the fruit used to cook soup is the old fruit, because young fruit or ripe fruit will not be used much to cook soup, the sour taste of the fruit at this time is not delicious.

Nổi tiếng ở Phú Thọ: Loại quả xưa chín rụng không ai ngó ngàng, giờ thành món đặc sản mùa hè được ưa chuộng- Ảnh 1.

The vertical tree has many bumps, with an average height of 10 - 15m. The vertical branches grow horizontally, have yellow latex, the leaves grow opposite, the flowers are unisexual. The tree likes light and moisture, is drought tolerant, and can be grown vertically from seeds or seedlings. Previously, the vertical fruit grew wild, when it ripened it fell all over and no one cared, only a few picked it to cook sour soup. In recent years, this fruit has "elevated" to become a strange specialty in the city, many people buy it to try cooking.

Ms. Nga, a vendor at Xa La market (Ha Dong, Hanoi ) shared that her hometown is Phu Tho so she grows a lot of vertical trees. Therefore, every season, they bear fruit on the branches. If they can't eat it all, her family often harvests them and sends them to the city to sell.

"The fruit of the cross-country fruit lasts from early summer to early fall. This fruit has a slightly sour taste, so it is very refreshing and delicious when cooked in fish soup. For many people, this is an indispensable ingredient for sour fish soup. Without it, the characteristic sour taste is lost. The sour taste of the cross-country fruit is different from the sour taste of lemon or star fruit. Anyone who has ever eaten sour soup with cross-country fruit will be fascinated by this fruit," Ms. Nga shared.

Ms. Nga said that the fruit is easily bruised and bruised, so it must be transported from Phu Tho to Hanoi gently and carefully. One kilogram of fruit costs about 70,000 VND/kg. Fresh fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for about 15-20 days, and if vacuum-sealed and stored in the freezer, it can be kept for about 2-3 months. People in Phu Tho also cut and dry the fruit to eat all year round.

In Phu Tho, sour fruit soup is a famous specialty. To cook sour soup, first marinate the fish with a little turmeric and some spices so that the fish absorbs the spices. While waiting for the fish to absorb the spices, boil the fruit with water, preparing the pot of sour water. Next, mash the fruit to let the sour taste permeate, then add the fish and chopped tomatoes, and continue to boil.

Nổi tiếng ở Phú Thọ: Loại quả xưa chín rụng không ai ngó ngàng, giờ thành món đặc sản mùa hè được ưa chuộng- Ảnh 2.

During the cooking process, season to taste. Wait until the pot of soup boils, continue to add chopped Vietnamese coriander and cilantro to the pot of soup and you will have a fragrant fish soup.

From a wild fruit, the star fruit is now known to more people and sought after in the summer.

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