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Dong Thap is a province in the Southwest region of Vietnam, with a large area surrounded by many large and small rivers. With a special geographical location, Dong Thap has many attractive tourist attractions such as Xeo Quyt National Park, Tram Chim Dong Thap Ecological Area, Pho Quang Pagoda, and Khang Dien Park. However, in addition, Dong Thapcuisine also boasts many delicious dishes that can be said to be on par with Can Tho cuisine, An Giang cuisine,...
Let's explore the top 5 best dishes in Dong Thap.
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1. Lotus Vietnamese Salad (Goi)
Referring to Dong Thap specialties, you should not miss dishes made from lotus - a famous plant in this land.
After being picked, lotus roots are washed, cut into strips, and mixed with spices such as lemon, sugar, fish sauce, chili, and a few herbs. Waiting for the lotus roots to absorb the spices, people add shredded chicken and mix it.
This salad has a sour, sweet, spicy taste, plus the chewy and sweet taste of chicken, with a little crunch and coolness from lotus roots.
2. Hu Tieu Sa Dec
If you are a food lover and have tried Hu Tieu Saigon, then you must also try Hu Tieu Sa Dec to experience the dish with the same name but in 2 different areas.
Hu Tieu is one of the iconic delicacies of Sa Dec-Dong Thap. The noodles here are soft, not crumbly, milky white, and fragrant. Especially, the broth is sweet, and delicious but not too greasy, making it even more attractive to diners.
When a customer orders, the chef puts the noodles into the bowl, adds some minced lean meat, yellow rolls, heart, and liver, and sprinkles some minced green onions and cilantro on top, then pours in the broth.
3. Dried Snail
If tourists have ever heard of the dried buffalo meat dish that is a specialty of mountainous provinces such as Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, etc. then in Dong Thap, people have the dried snails.
Dried snails are one of the strange and expensive specialties in Dong Thap. To make this dish, locals mainly use apple snails. However, black apple snails are more popular because their meat is clean and crispy, so when dried for several months, it still retains its freshness.
The selected snails are large, healthy, and have undamaged shells. Then they are washed, drained, then placed in baskets hanging on the kitchen rack. The snails must be kept in a dry place, away from sunlight and moisture because snails instinctively crawl away when encountering a wet place.
When the snails reach full term, people lower the rig and "fatten" them by soaking them in fresh milk and eggs. Snails starve for a long time, so when they see water, they will drink the water. Therefore, they become fatter and have a delicious flavor when processed.
4. Lai Vung Spring Roll
Lai Vung Spring Rolls is also one of the famous Dong Thap specialties, enjoyed by many diners. Unlike spring rolls in other regions, Lai Vung spring rolls have both the sweetness of fresh meat, the chewy and crispy taste of the crust, the sour taste of the leaves, and the spicy taste of green chili.
5. Roasted Vole Roller
Vole is a specialty of the Mekong Delta during the floating season, and in Dong Thap, they have a roasted vole roller.
Cao Lanh Voles are ingredients to make a series of famous delicacies in Dong Thap such as fake dog meat, sweet and sour stir-fried vole, vinegar-dipped vole, and stir-fried vole,... but the most popular is still roasted vole roller.
To make a delicious dish, people must choose large, fat, and alive voles and then dip them in boiling water to remove the feathers but not tear the skin. After thorough preparation, the mouse is marinated with spices and then placed on an iron hook to hang in the middle of the jar and cover tightly.
At the bottom of the jar, a hole is cut out to put charcoal in for grilling. The mouse will be roasted in the jar and every 5 or 10 minutes, open the lid and turn the meat evenly until it is cooked. When the mouse is ready to serve, people spread a layer of pure honey on the skin to enhance the scent and make the color more eye-catching.
Dong Thap is also one of the places with the best specialties in the Mekong Delta region, so tourists visiting Dong Thap must try these 5 typical dishes of Dong Thap.
See more articles about the Mekong Delta:
>> An Giang in Floating Season
>> Chau Doc Travel Guide - 8 Attractions You Cannot Miss
>> Discover the Cultural Identity of the Cham people in An Giang, Vietnam
