3/11 products of Da Bac – Hoa Binh recognized as OCOP stars are fish. One of the famous dishes in this land is grilled fish – although not recognized as OCOP stars, it still delights tourists from near and far.
“Rocky mountain goat, Da River fish”
For a long time, the folk saying “Rocky mountain goat, Da River fish” has proven that in this place where the most majestic and poetic river flows through, the unforgettable specialty is fish.
Among hundreds of freshwater fish species such as grass carp, catfish, bream, carp, and tamarind, almost all species are found in the Da River reservoir. Four species of fish: Anh Vu fish, Catfish, Catfish, and Green Dam fish are often called Tien fish, so many people who want to eat these species must definitely go to Da River. In addition, there are also fish species that are not found anywhere else, such as: yellow bull fish, silver fish, and loach.
The Da Giang River is more than 900 km long, flowing through Hoa Binh for 103 kilometers and the section passing through Da Bac is up to 70 km long. Therefore, in the villages along the two banks of the river, the aquatic resources that have fed the people for many generations are also fish, and fish is a specialty of the land.
Of the 11 OCOP certified products of Da Bac, 3 are fish, namely black catfish, grass carp, and silver carp. Many products related to Fish are still being researched by cooperatives to bring to the market, ensuring OCOP standards in the coming years.
The fish here live in a natural environment, eating plankton and organisms floating along the water, so the meat is firm, delicious and sweet, with little fat. The fish is especially delicious during the water season from September to November every year.
In addition to fresh fish sold to tourists to take home to process, people living along the Da River and Da Bac people also have many delicious dishes made from fish. Among them, grilled fish with Doi seeds is rarely absent from the Da Bac people’s dining table.
But grilled fish also has a very “chill” way of enjoying for tourists from all over, which is when sitting and eating at a roadside restaurant to fully enjoy the aroma of bamboo grilled, wrapped in banana leaves and the sweet aroma of fish. Especially in winter, this dish becomes a specialty with a very unique flavor of this mountainous region.
A very interesting pastime… in winter
When coming to Hoa Binh and Da Bac, tourists are easily attracted by the image of rows of grilled fish, red-hot and fragrant, sold by locals. All grilled fish are made from fresh fish caught from the river, so the meat is often very sweet. The more sophisticated houses will add spices such as ginger, lemongrass, ginger, onions, and Doi seeds. The fish is wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over red coals.
After the fish is grilled, according to the habits of the Muong people (the ethnic group with a high population in Da Bac), it will be displayed on banana leaves over a fire to preserve the characteristic flavor of the fish meat. If customers buy to take away, the seller will wrap the banana leaf-wrapped fish in layers of foil to keep it warm.
For customers eating on the spot, the dipping sauce with chili salt, doi seeds, a little sour lemon, wrapped in lolot leaves will remove the fishy taste of the fish, making it sweeter and more fragrant the more you eat. It is worth mentioning that grilled fish eaten on the spot only costs a few tens of thousands of dong, enough for two people to eat comfortably.
However, the fish dish that many people love is sandwiched in bamboo sticks and grilled over red coals. When grilling, the cook must constantly fan the coals and turn the fish to avoid burning and smoke, to keep the natural flavor. Also using bamboo tongs to grill, there is another way to grill: after pre-processing, the fish is clamped in bamboo sticks, drained, then dried in the sun until dry, then grilled on charcoal. This way of grilling usually gives the finished product firm meat, crispy skin, charred edges, and just the right amount of saltiness.
This winter, in addition to grilled corn, grilled fish is also the top choice of tourists coming to Da Bac. Sipping some rice wine, corn wine with grilled fish on the roadside in the monsoon, visitors can chill with the winter of the North, blending with the mountain wind of the Da River, to enjoy a different taste of life.
DANH LIST OF DA BAC OCOP PRODUCTS
Products with 3 OCOP stars
– Roasted and dried sachi omega 369 seeds
– Cao Son corn wine
– Da Bac vermicelli
– Shan Tuyet tea
– Truc Son rice wine
– Pork Tan Minh native
– Tan Minh hill chicken
– Da River black catfish
– Da River grass carp
– Da River goby
– Da River goby
OCOP 4-star product
– Da Bia homestay tourism
