Once cheap, now these 5 Northwest spices are famous specialties, millions of dollars are unlikely to buy them.

1. Bad luck

Mac Khen is one of the famous culinary spices of the Northwest mountains. It is considered the soul of ethnic dishes such as occipital cross, kitchen buffalo, sausage, grilled fish, blood pudding…

Ms. Nguyen Hoa (in Lai Chau) shared, Mac Khen seeds have an orange-like smell but are lighter and more pleasant, when eaten, they have a spicy, numbing taste on the tongue, not as pungent as pepper.

Mac Khen tree grows naturally in the forest, popular in Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Cao Bang, Ha Giang… The fruit is round, the seeds are spherical when ripe, it is shiny black. In the past, ethnic people went to the forest to pick mac Khen fruit to make salt or spice in traditional dishes. At that time, it was rarely offered for sale, if it did, the price was also very cheap.

Now, the trees in the forest are less and less, many people have grown themselves in the upland fields to harvest. MacKen nuts are now a famous specialty in the Northwest and are sold on the market at not cheap prices. Accordingly, dried macadamia nuts are sold for up to 350,000 VND/kg.

Consumers should look at reputable addresses, do not be greedy to buy low-quality hats, or mixed seeds. Even, many addresses selling mac Khen seeds have sprayed with chemical compost to avoid mold, which affects the health of users.

2. Confusion

Mac honey, also known as honey hook, honey mark, mountain red skin is also an extremely famous mountain spice. Macadamia also belongs to woody plants, in which this plant can use both the fruit and the young leaves to make spices. Macadamia can be used both fresh and dried, in which the aroma is concentrated mainly on the leaves.

The tree grows wild in the high mountains in the North of our country such as: Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Hoa Binh, Quang Ninh…, if it grows in other areas, it will be difficult to live. no characteristic aroma.

For the people of the Northwest, since ancient times, magnolia leaves were indispensable for roasted pork, roast duck, grilled meat, fried bamboo shoots…, fresh magnolia fruit has a sweet and sour taste and is soaked with bamboo shoots and chili, or Dried fruit to use all year round, also delicious as fresh honey.

On the online market and e-commerce platforms, fresh macadamia nuts are sold for 50,000-60,000 VND/kg, while dried macadamia nuts cost up to 280,000 VND/kg. There are many types of molasses, if you want to know if it’s genuine or not, you just need to split the dried fruit in half, tear the peel off, and see that there is a certain amount of glue still in the fruit. Taste a little sweet, sour and numb on the tongue, that is delicious honey, accompanied by a characteristic aroma.

3. Forest guava seeds

Today, forest guava seeds are an expensive spice in cuisine, likened to the “black gold” of the Northwest region. Currently, it is “searched for” by restaurant chefs, hoteliers, gourmets with expensive prices, and even exported to the European market.

Doi tree is a large tree with beautiful wood grain, it is used for making houses on stilts, tables, chairs and some furniture. Doi seeds are bright red, after being taken back to dry in the sun, they turn glossy black or cockroach wings. In the past, people in the highlands went to the forest to pick up doi seeds to make salt or seasoning in specialty dishes. Now, the forest-covered nut has “caused a fever” on the market for up to 3 million VND/kg.

Doi seeds have 2 types, doi doi and doi sticky. Durian often has a strong smell, hard seeds, when baked or pounded to use, it has a bitter taste. Sticky rice when baking should have a pleasant and fragrant aroma, not bitter when making seasoning.

Mr. Tien Hoang (a resident in the Northwest) shared, the older the doi tree, the better the seeds. The most expensive and premium type is the seeds of the ancient forest trees, older than 30 years, this type is “hunted” by chefs and connoisseurs, but the quantity is not much and it is not always possible to have money. is buyable.

“If you want to buy this top-class doi nut, you must have a familiarity. But on the market, it’s mainly regular doi nut, which is harvested from trees with a shorter age. In terms of preservation, the doi nut is roasted where it’s used. or bake until there, the rest should be wrapped tightly, put in a plastic or glass jar and stored in a cool, dry place. If you put it in the refrigerator, it must also be wrapped tightly so as not to lose its smell and not be absorbed by steam.” , Mr. Tien said.

4. Cardamom

Cardamom (also known as To Ho) is considered the “queen” of spices. Thanks to its aromatic, sweet and spicy properties, cardamom is indispensable in any restaurant or restaurant to marinate grilled dishes, braise, or make hot pot, make che lam, braised tea and some confectionery. another to create a delicious taste.

In Vietnam, cardamomous grows wild in clusters in the Hoang Lien Son mountains and the Northwest region such as Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Ha Giang, Lai Chau… In recent years, cardamom has been sold on the market at a low price. expensive, so people expand planting in the forest, each season harvest hundreds of millions of dong.

Currently on the online market and e-commerce platforms, dried cardamom and fresh cardamom specialties of the Northwest are for sale with prices up to 265,000 VND/kg in some places. Cardamom is distilled into essential oils for flavoring and seasoning in dishes, or confectionery. In particular, this nut is used as an additive in beverages such as tea and coffee because it has a unique and delicious taste.

5. Forest pepper

Wild pepper is completely different from ordinary pepper, this is a typical spice not only in the Central Highlands but also in the Northwest. They have a sweet, aromatic taste, milder than regular pepper, with a faint flavor of lemongrass.

The harvesting season of wild pepper is from June to July every year, at this time, people often go to the forest to pick the whole branch, then separate the fruit, pick up the stalk, dry it and store it for use all year round.

Visually, wild pepper and pepper are often quite similar, but there is a small detail that we can immediately recognize, that is, wild pepper has a rather long stalk that pepper is almost absent, its color is also dark. than. According to the survey, on the market, wild pepper is sold for 300,000 VND/kg.