(AG Provincial E-Portal) - Every year during the flood season, An Giang has more products bestowed by nature. Therefore, tourists coming to visit and travel during this season have the opportunities to enjoy varied and attractive specialties, leaving many unforgettable memories.
The first thing to mention is the abundant aquatic resources. In the water flowing from upstream to downstream, it not only carries red alluvium, but also countless fish and shrimp. Among them, typical ones are loach fish (Chạch fish), Butter catfish (Trèn fish), Bumalo fish (Khoai fish), perch fish (Rô fish), Naked catfishes (Chốt fish), Hemibagrus fish (Lăng fish), shrimp, freshwater crab, snails.… The most famous is henicorhynchus - Linh fish. All of these create a unique and rustic cuisine of the Western province during the flood season.
Linh fish only appears during the flood season, mainly in the two upstream provinces of the Mekong Delta, An Giang and Dong Thap. At the beginning of the season, young Linh fish has soft and sweet meat. Later in the season, Linh fish goes with the flow and grow bigger. Linh fish is processed into many dishes by people such as sour soup, hotpot, braise, fried, fish sauce…
Common sesban flowers are an indispensable specialty during the flood season. Along the canal banks, river banks, and dykes, there are rows of yellow Common sesban flowers. Common sesban flowers can be made into many dishes such as sour soup with Linh fish, stir-fried with freshwater shrimp, and filled with Xèo cake . These simple dishes make many people living far away from home and tourists remember them when talking about the Western provinces during the flood season.
Sour soup with Linh fish and Common sesban flowers is a famous dish. Its unique deliciousness is the combination of the sour taste of tamarind, the sweetness of sesbania flowers, the fatty taste of Linh fish, the aroma of vegetables... Besides, Common sesban flowers stir-fried with shrimp is a rustic dish, with simple ingredients, quick preparation time, but equally attractive, bringing an unforgettable taste to diners.
Along with the Common sesbania flower (Điên điển), the water lily grows during the flood season and stretches along the water, meaning the higher the water level, the longer the water lily stem. People often use the water lily stem to prepare dishes such as sour water lily soup, water lily salad, water lily with fish sauce, etc.
In addition, the Cà Na fruit (Elaeocarpus) is also a favorite dish of many tourists when coming to An Giang. Cà Na tree grows well in the fields and river banks. Unripe Cà Na fruit is green, the ripe one is yellow, sour, slightly sweet, slightly astringent. Cà Na with chili salt is the top choice of diners. Just slightly crush Cà Na, then dip it in chili salt, the sour, astringent and spicy flavors blend together to make people fall in love. In addition, you cannot miss the candied Cà Na. When candied with sugar, Cà Na has a slightly reddish yellow color, is sweet and has a light aroma.
The flood season is the time when the Mekong River brings fish and shrimp to reproduce, bringing huge aquatic resources, helping people improve their family's economic life. Along with fish and shrimp, many types of fruits and vegetables also grow when the water returns. Therefore, people in the river area have created many typical dishes, making tourists remember them. This year's flood season, let’s come to An Giang to enjoy many attractive specialties!
Author: Yen Luong
Translated by Kim Ngan
