- Dishes made from flowers - Both beautiful and delicious.
Sesbania grandiflora, commonly found growing along ditches, riverbanks, and around fields, can reach a height of 4-5 meters with a canopy width of 2-3 meters. It's easy to cultivate, requires little care, and doesn't need any fertilizers or pesticides, making its flowers a popular and healthy vegetable. In season, when the water level rises and the wind turns cool, the Sesbania grandiflora begins to bloom, bestowing upon the people of Ca Mau its vibrant clusters of flowers. Interestingly, no one ever calls this flower a "flower."
Whenever the water hyacinth blooms, the women in the village rush to pick the flowers to improve their daily meals. They roll up their trousers and wade through the water, or in small boats, swaying in the wind, humming the tune of the water hyacinth song to ease their sadness and forget the time. The yellow color of the water hyacinth flowers, like the apricot blossoms of Tet, has captivated countless people living along the river, compensating for the usual desolation of the area every day.
Every time the Sesbania flower season arrives, Ms. Nguyen Thi Guong takes the opportunity to pick the flowers to make many dishes.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Guong, from Hamlet 7, Khanh Binh Dong Commune, Tran Van Thoi District, she takes advantage of the flowering season to pick the flowers to cook for her family. Picking Sesbania flowers is not strenuous but takes a lot of time. When picking, you should choose flowers that haven't fully bloomed and pick them in the afternoon, as the flowers will be sweeter and tastier.
Unlike in Dong Thap, An Giang , or Can Tho, in Ca Mau, the Sesbania grandiflora grows wild, making it very precious. During the season, it's only harvested for personal consumption and rarely sold. It's used both to entertain guests and to savor the sweet flavor of this flower that blooms only once a year at the southernmost tip of Vietnam. That being said, if it were sold at the market, customers would snap it up in droves! This is because it's a rare flower, characteristic of the Mekong Delta in general and Ca Mau in particular. Dishes made from Sesbania grandiflora flowers aren't overly complicated, but they offer a unique flavor unlike any other.
Of all the dishes made with Sesbania grandiflora flowers, stir-fried freshwater shrimp is the easiest to eat and prepare. The sweetness from the shrimp and the aroma from the flowers evoke nostalgic memories for those far from home.
With just one type of flower, countless unique and delicious dishes can be made, adding rich flavor to meals. No wonder people in the Mekong Delta often serve it to guests, both to advertise and to impress visitors from afar. Ms. Dao My Thoa, from Tan Thanh hamlet, Loi An commune, Tran Van Thoi district, shared: "I've been married for 7 years now, and every season I pick Sesbania flowers to make many dishes for my parents-in-law. This simple, rustic flower makes for many irresistible dishes, such as Sesbania flowers stir-fried with shrimp, Sesbania flowers as filling for banh xeo (Vietnamese savory pancakes), in sour soup, in fish sauce hotpot, in salads, or pickled... every dish is addictive, and ultimately, each one is delicious in its own way."
The water hyacinth is a simple, unpretentious flower of the people of the Mekong Delta. Although it is a delicate plant that grows wild along dikes or naturally in the fields of the countryside for generations, it has taken root and become deeply ingrained in the memories of the people, evoking nostalgia and longing in those who are far from home.
Vu Linh
Source: https://baocamau.vn/mua-bong-dien-dien-a35741.html
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