Since when did Sapa sour bamboo shoots appear in the meals of ethnic people in the village amidst the majestic Hoang Lien Son mountains, no one knows. I only know that for a long time, this dish with a bold, rustic flavor has appeared on the tables of ethnic families in small villages, and has gradually become a precious gift from nature. Northwestern Nature sends gifts to friends from far away every time they set foot in this small town surrounded by fog all year round.

This specialty is made from young bamboo shoots, right when the shoots have just sprouted from the ground with an approximate length of 20 to 30cm. People going to the forest will dig up bamboo shoots, then process them through a series of steps before producing a surprisingly delicious piece of sour bamboo shoots.

After being dug, the women in the family will peel the bamboo shoots, then wash them thoroughly. Before taking the bamboo shoots to ferment in earthen jars and jars, they will cut the bamboo shoots into small slices with the purpose of allowing the bamboo shoots to absorb spices more quickly. The mouths of jars and jars are carefully covered to prevent water or air from getting in, affecting the soaking process of bamboo shoots.

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The bamboo shoots used for pickling are about 20 to 30cm long, and must be young bamboo shoots to be pickled to get the finished product and better flavor.

After soaking for 20 to 30 days, the bamboo shoots have reached the most accurate acidity. Bamboo shoots can now be eaten and can also be preserved for longer, avoiding damage and being unable to be used.

In the past, sour bamboo shoots were considered a simple, or if not lacking, dish for poor ethnic families and did not often have too many dishes to eat at mealtimes. Initially, they often used fresh bamboo shoots to stir-fry or boil for meals. However, gradually, people wanted to preserve bamboo shoots for longer as well as change the familiar flavor of this rustic food, so they came up with preservation methods such as drying or pickling. It seems that through many generations of people in the villages in the mountains and forests of Hoang Lien Son, sour bamboo shoots are a dish that has gone through many ups and downs of the village and has survived until today, becoming a popular dish. A precious gift that Sapa town gives to friends who have once set foot in this wild mountainous place.

There is much evidence showing that sour bamboo shoots have great benefits for users’ health, such as helping to improve cardiovascular health, preventing liver cancer and promoting weight loss. out more effectively.

For those who are always worried about weight, sour bamboo shoots are the perfect ‘savior’ when possessing abundant fiber, helping to repel hunger and cravings. In addition, bamboo shoots contain a very small and insignificant amount of sugar and calories and a low carbohydrate ratio, so even if you eat a lot, you don’t have to worry about gaining weight.

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Stir-fried sour bamboo shoots are not only delicious but also help with weight loss, improve cardiovascular problems, inhibit the growth of bad cholesterol in the body, and effectively prevent cancer.

Not only that, sour bamboo shoots with many essential nutrients and minerals such as selenium and potassium also help improve heart health and prevent heart-related diseases. In addition, with a large amount of nutrients rich in antioxidants, sour bamboo shoots when entering the body also have the ability to effectively remove free radicals and phytosterols, enhancing the ability to prevent cancer.

In addition, sour bamboo shoots with negligible fat and calorie content and rich in fiber also have the ability to minimize the amount of bad cholesterol in the body, helping you stay healthy and avoid problems. problems related to high cholesterol.

In the meals of the H’Mong and Red Dao ethnic people, sour bamboo shoots often appear a lot and they often combine this rustic food with a variety of other local specialties, such as buffalo meat. .

Buffalo meat stir-fried with sour bamboo shoots with a rich, sour and fatty flavor combined is a specialty dish most commonly found in the meals of mountainous ethnic people, and they especially often use this dish to entertain guests. Distinguished guests come to the house.

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Stir-fried sour bamboo shoots with buffalo meat is one of the specialty dishes of the majestic Northwest mountains with an irresistible delicious flavor and is extremely delicious for rice.

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A plate of stir-fried sour bamboo shoots with a sour, tangy flavor combined with a spicy chili flavor on chilly days, why not?

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Sour bamboo shoots are also used to cook delicious sturgeon hot pots with the sour and sour taste of bamboo shoots, combined with the fatty taste of firm fish meat.

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Another dish that often appears on the menu when combined with sour bamboo shoots is stewed pork trotters with high nutrition and an irresistibly delicious flavor.

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Sour salmon head soup is also an option to catch rice on rainy or chilly days

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Who can resist the seductive appeal of this bowl of sour bamboo shoot soup cooked with fatty and nutritious salmon?

The high mountains in the Northwest with its chilly atmosphere and clean water flowing from the upstream are the ideal place to raise nutritious fish such as sturgeon and salmon. Famous for sturgeon and salmon, Sapa people are also very skillful when combining two types of fish with firm meat and a characteristic fatty taste with thinly sliced ​​sour bamboo shoots with a special flavor into flavorful sour soup. With the sour taste of bamboo shoots, the fatty taste of fish meat and the spicy taste of green chili, this special sour soup is a ‘symphony’ with explosive flavors, awakening all senses and even cravings. yours too.

In addition, people in the Northwest mountains and forests are very skillful when combining sour bamboo shoots with a variety of local specialty meats such as duck meat, underarm pork, and even frogs. Not only that, they also often soak sour bamboo shoots with garlic and chili and sell them at markets as a dipping sauce imbued with the rustic flavor of the Northwest mountains and forests, simple but very delicious and unique, served to rice.

If you are passionate about the sour and nutty flavor of pickled young bamboo shoots and want to bring this rustic dish as a gift to your loved ones after a vacation to the foggy land of Sapa all year round. blind, you can buy it at fairs. Or sometimes, if you’re lucky, on the way, you can also meet ethnic people with baskets on their backs selling sour bamboo shoots.

Sapa sour bamboo shoots with their rich, fatty flavor and characteristic sour taste have become a very simple specialty but have a very unique charm. This precious gift from the mountains and forests of the Northwest will surely make your family meals more delicious and special with unique flavors that cannot be found in foods in the city. Okay. If you have the opportunity to visit Sapa town, which is foggy all year round, don’t forget to buy some sour bamboo shoots to bring home as gifts for your loved ones in the family. At the same time, this is also a way that you have helped the lives of the kind and simple ethnic people here to become more prosperous and stable.