Fall in love with the specialties of cat apples and tiger traps in the Northwest mountains and forests

1Cat apple – A precious fruit with many nutritional values

1.1 Natural characteristics

Cat apple (also known as hawthorn) is a cold-region fruit with white flowers and a unique flavor that blends bitter – astringent – sour – sweet. Because the flavor spans so many levels, this fruit is also lovingly called the love fruit by tour guides.

You can easily find cat apples growing wild throughout the Sapa forest canopy. Maybe because it lives wild and grows with the harsh weather here, the cat apple is considered a precious gift that nature has given to this Northwest mountain and forest area. Growing up through the weather, the cat apples in Sapa also have a slightly more acrid taste than the cat apples in other regions, but this creates a unique appeal for the cat apples in Sapa.

Cat apples contain many organic amino acids, calcium and vitamins C, B2 and high levels of fiber that are good for the digestive system. Vitamin C provides antioxidant effects and vitamin B2 helps enhance the body’s energy metabolism.

1.2 Diverse ways to prepare cat apples

Fresh cat apples eaten directly have a sweet and sour taste, then leave a slightly bitter aftertaste on the tongue. The overall flavor blends very nicely. Eaten directly, jujubes will retain many organic amino acids along with vitamin C. You can eat fresh jujubes at snacks to increase resistance and support weight loss.

Dried jujubes are often used to prepare stews, potentially improving health. However, the heat effect causes the vitamin C in the apple to decompose by up to 90%, but vitamin B2 remains intact, helping to actively eliminate bad fat. Stews and stews made from apple cider vinegar are very suitable for elderly people with fatty blood problems.

Apple cider vinegar is made with great care. Apple cider vinegar must be washed 2-3 times with water, then soaked in salt water, dried, then soaked again with sugar and honey according to the heirloom ratio of each kiln. alcohol. Then soak the sweetened apples in wine. The wine to be soaked must be cooked with herbal yeast at a temperature of 30-40 degrees Celsius. Drink 1-2 cups of apple cider a day after lunch and in the afternoon. Supports weight loss and increases blood circulation.

2Tiger hook – A specialty representing Sapa autumn

2.1 Natural characteristics

Mac cop (also known as wild pear) is a fruit that grows abundantly in the mountains of Northwest Vietnam. Brown-shelled tiger macaws have a sweet and quite refreshing taste while green-shelled tiger macaws have a slightly sweet and sour taste and are very fragrant. This fruit has long become a specialty of Sapa that any tourist who comes here in the fall will buy as a gift to bring home.

Tiger nuts have high nutritional value. In addition to being rich in fiber to help improve the digestive system and eliminate toxins, tiger nuts also contain the golden ingredient phloretin flavonoid, which helps inhibit cell growth. malignant tumor cells.

2.2 Ways to enjoy tiger hooks

Chilled brown-shelled tiger mac is a cool dessert in the fall months. Tiger macaw inherently has a sweet flavor, so when chilled, the cool taste is multiplied, making you feel more delicious.

Jackfruit juice brings a unique flavor full of the wildness of the Northwest mountains. The juice from tiger macadamia nuts sometimes turns a little light brown. You should mix the brown and green peels to get a flavor that blends sweet and sour. This is truly an incredibly refreshing drink. same good for health.

Tiger pear stewed in rock sugar is a very effective cough treatment dish. You can replace regular pears with Sapa tiger pear, the flavor will also be more unique. Peel the tiger macaws, cut them into small pieces, put them with ginger and rock sugar in a bowl and simmer for about 20 minutes. Persistently using this dish for 2-3 days you will see a clear improvement in your cough.

3Where to buy cat and tiger apples in Lao Cai?

Cat apples and tiger apples ripen in the fall around August to October. Coming to the Northwest around this time, you can consider buying these two specialty fruits from one of the suggestions below.

3.1 Sapa New Market – Most convenient to buy cat apples and tiger nuts

Time: 6-6pm daily

Location: Sapa town center

This is the largest Sapa market in the district, the goods here are also very diverse, including necessities, local products and daily food. The prices here are a bit high because they are mainly sold to tourists, and the freshness is not guaranteed because they have to be transported from remote villages to the center. But this is the most convenient place for you to find and buy cat apples because the market is located right in the center of Sapa, without having to travel too much.

3.2 Coc Ly Market – The busiest market in Sapa

Time: Every Tuesday

Location: Coc Ly commune, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province

Coc Ly Market is not a very large market, the goods here are mainly self-produced or imported from China. Here you can find very fresh picked apples and tiger apples, in addition, the price of apple cider here is also relatively cheaper than the markets in the center for tourists.

3.3 Bac Ha Market – The oldest market in Sapa

Time: Every Sunday

Location: Bac Ha town, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province

Bac Ha market is divided into small markets such as brocade market, food market, horse market (selling horses, cattle, poultry, working tools,…). Here you can easily find many stalls selling cat apples and tiger nuts. The people are very friendly and there is almost no phenomenon of soliciting or shouting prices at tourists. However, the disadvantage of this market is that it is too far from Sapa center (about 65km).

Cat apple and tiger apple have long been considered precious fruits in the mountains and forests of Sapa because of their strong growth ability to overcome harsh weather. Enjoying the cat apple and tiger apple even just once will definitely make you fall in love with the elegant flavor of these two heavenly fruits.