1Why should you try Sapa specialties?
Even though it is just a small town in the Northwest mountains of Lao Cai province, Sapa tourism still causes a “fever” because it not only possesses the enchanting beauty of majestic nature amid poetic clouds and mountains, but also the Sapa specialties are unique, characteristic, imbued with the national identity of ethnic minorities in the Northwest region. It would be a pity to come to this place and not try Sapa’s specialties!
2Sapa specialties should be eaten immediately
If you are a “hard-core fan” of Sapa cuisine, you cannot help but know the famous specialty – black chicken. Most of the times you go to restaurants or eateries, you will see this dish sold. Black chickens are also called evil chickens. Each chicken is quite small, weighing only about 1.2kg. Black chicken is raised naturally in Sapa to make a living, so the chicken meat is very firm and delicious, processed into many dishes such as steamed chicken, stir-fried chicken, fried chicken and especially grilled black chicken with honey – The dish has “knocked out” thousands of diners when coming to Sapa.
Grilled black chicken with honey is skillfully marinated with spices, then coated with a layer of shiny golden honey. It is revealed that this honey is honey from the forest and was captured by the people in the village to make their nests!
Grilled black chicken with honey and served with mint is “standard”
Don’t think that preparing black chicken is easy, but actually in the restaurant, the chefs are all experienced people who can make this dish in the Sapa style. Black chicken is very popular and has become a Sapa specialty not to be missed.
Black chicken meat is not only delicious but also brings high nutritional value and cures many diseases.
– Suggested restaurant: A Phu Restaurant
– Address: 15 Fansipan, Sapa, Lao Cai province, Vietnam
– Opening hours: 09:00 – 23:00
It is still a mistake to ignore mustard greens, a wild vegetable dish that the Northwest nature bestows on Sapa. This vegetable can only survive in the harsh cold climate of Sapa, and often appears in the daily meals of the Mong people in particular, and is also a dish of the highland people in general.
Mustard greens are often found on simple trays of rice along with bowls of soup and white rice. So simple but surprisingly delicious
Every January, tourists visiting Sapa often hunt for this vegetable. Lettuce is crispy, has a mild sweet taste mixed with a bitter taste. You can prepare Chinese cabbage into many dishes such as stir-fried, boiled Chinese cabbage, beef wrapped in Chinese cabbage, or eat it with hot pots, etc. In addition, the Sapa specialty Chinese cabbage also has the advantage of Used to cure many diseases such as toothache, prevent aging, increase resistance, beautiful and smooth skin and prevent ovarian cancer.
The sweetness of beef marinated with typical spices of the Northwest mountains and forests, and the bitter taste of mustard greens, mixed with a bit of spiciness from Muong Khuong chili sauce, will make it hard for you to stop.
– Suggested restaurant: Hoang Lien Grill
– Address: No. 4 Hoang Lien Street, Sapa, Lao Cai province, Vietnam
– Opening hours: 17:00 – 23:00
Visitors to Sapa have heard of apple wine, banana wine, and Sim San wine, but the most delicious wine is San Lung wine, known as the fairy wine in Sapa. This is a famous specialty wine of the Red Dao ethnic group, produced in San Lung village. Therefore, the wine was named after the village San Lung, which means Tam Long (translated according to Sino-Vietnamese meaning).
San Lung wine also helps relieve colds, treat wind, reduce headaches, treat bone pain and circulate blood
Like many other types of wine, wine is made from rice. However, San Lung wine is made from upland rice and red sorghum grains that are brewed with herbs, picked from the deep forest.
Drops of wine have unique culinary and national cultural significance
According to ancient legends, San Lung wine is the wine of the gods in heaven. Bodhisattvas often send fairies down to Po Sen mountain to bring back wine. Therefore, San Lung wine not only means a Sapa specialty, but also the soul of the Red Dao people.
– Suggested shop selling: Sapa Quoc Cuong Wine
– Address: 74 Thach Son, Sapa town, Lao Cai, Vietnam
Another Sapa specialty that you must try when you set foot in the Northwest mountains is buffalo meat. This dish was born a long time ago, possibly originating from the Black Thai ethnic group in Son La. Kitchen buffalo meat is a familiar dish of highland people, and is often a dish reserved for entertaining guests.
There are many types of buffalo meat, different in both processing and marinating, but the most delicious is Son La buffalo meat.
There are many ways to prepare buffalo in the kitchen, such as steaming, grilling with charcoal, or microwave.
Tourists can eat buffalo meat in the kitchen – a Sapa specialty, mixed with wine or beer, it’s very delicious.
In flood areas, buffalo meat often helps villagers ensure nutrition while isolated from the outside world. It can be said that buffalo meat is an irresistibly delicious Sapa specialty and leaves the deepest impression on visitors. A little secret: you can buy this specialty as a gift!
– Suggested shop: Viet’s farm
– Address: 26 Dong Loi, Sapa, Lao Cai, Vietnam
– Opening hours: 8:00 – 23:00
Famous for the image of majestic terraced fields of the Northwest highlands, it is not surprising that bamboo-tube rice is on the list of famous Sapa specialties. It is a popular culinary feature of ethnic minorities here such as Nung, Thai, Dao, Mong,…
“Lam” means grilling anything until cooked using a bamboo tube
Lam rice is simply rice grains with a little salt, grilled in a bamboo tube over charcoal. Thanks to this method, the rice grains will absorb all the fragrance from the bamboo while still retaining their inherent sweetness. Diners can eat it with roasted sesame salt, sesame salt or eat it with grilled meat to create an unbelievably delicious taste.
While baking, the bamboo tube must be rotated regularly so that the rice cooks evenly
This is a rustic, simple and rustic dish of Sapa cuisine, found everywhere in every restaurant. Surely the Sapa specialty Lam rice will not disappoint you.
– Suggested restaurant: A Quynh Restaurant
– Address: 15 Thach Son, Sapa town, Lao Cao province, Vietnam
– Opening hours: 07:00 – 22:30
Another very lovely and attractive specialty in Lao Cai is sticky rice with 7 rainbow colors, which are brown, bright red, dark red, yellow, yellow green, banana green, mekong green, often made comes from plants such as turmeric, carnation, yellow flower,…
The way to cook sticky rice is quite elaborate, requiring the cook to be patient and meticulous
All gathered into a small handful of sticky rice. This is a dish of the Nung Din ethnic group, and is also a traditional spiritual dish, to commemorate the resistance heroes of the past who heroically fought off foreign invaders and restored peace to this mountainous area.
7-color sticky rice is so delicious that you can’t bear to eat it after looking at it
Each color of sticky rice has its own meaning, for example, green is the symbol of spring, red represents the blood of heroes who sacrificed to protect their homeland, yellow symbolizes the grief and separation of families who have lost someone, while bright red is for the heroic victory of the Nung Din people,…
The fragrant aroma of the incense burner mixed with the pungent taste of the forest leaves will make you ecstatic when you try it
– Suggested restaurant: Mr. Dung
– Address: 06 Xuan Vien, Sapa, Lao Cai province, Vietnam
– Opening hours: 08:00 – 22:30
3Some great tricks when conquering the Sapa specialty map
– Prepare thick clothes and warm clothes to ensure your health and avoid Sapa’s cold winter weather where snow can fall.
– Even though “eating clean” Sapa specialties is a “mission”, you should pay attention to reputable and hygienic eating places!
– You can rent a motorbike in Sapa (you can contact the hotel you are staying at) to freely enjoy Sapa specialties at a “cheap” price.
– Tourists should bring along medicines such as fever, stomach and digestive medicine to avoid a weak stomach!
Does the specialty “mist” in Sapa make you “crazy”? When you come to Sapa, you have to fill your stomach with enough food to be able to explore all the attractions. Therefore, don’t miss them the next time you come to Sapa!
