Although characterized by its majestic scenery, cool weather, and outstanding culture, Sapa is also known as the heaven of food in the northwest of Vietnam. If you visit Sapa, in addition to enjoying the beautiful landscape, you must try the local food. Explore the special cuisine culture of this land and you’ll understand yet another trait that makes it outstanding.
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1. Thang Co – the best food Sapa you must try
Thang Co is a traditional dish of Mong ethnic group. You can easily find this dish in their villages and markets. It is usually cooked on festival days, major days, weekend days, which are often sold at highland markets. Many people like it and call it the best food Sapa.
It is a pot of soup, consisting of meat, heart, liver, lungs of the horse, and vegetables such as Amomum Tsao-ko, cinnamon, lemongrass, ginger, other special spices and especially, “thang co” is the last spice. When you’re eating, the sliced and broth meat of horse is added to the pot.
This food tastes best when it’s served with corn wine – the aromatic wine of the highland region. The harmonious combination of Thang Co and corn wine brings a pleasant and unforgettable taste.
2. Lon Cap Nach - “Carried-under-arm” pork
Lon Cap Nach or “carried-under-arm” pork is the specialty of Sapa. The pig is less than 10kg and free range, raised in the field or in the forest. The meat is fatless, tender and sweetish. Lon cap nach is usually grilled or roasted as the whole with a lot of local herbs and spices. You will never forget the flavor of enjoying “carried-under-arm” pigs together with sipping a cup of Sapa wild cat apple wine. It is just simply so good!
3. Salmon hot pot
In the cold weather of Sapa, you sit with your friends, family… with a salmon hot pot boiled condensed. What is more interesting than this?
Salmon has successfully raised in Sapa thanks to its temperate climate, which is similar to the European and North American climate where salmon live. Unlike imported salmon, salmon in Sapa have firm meat, low fat, and high nutritional value.
People process it in many different ways to create delicious dishes such as salmon salads, grilled salmon, sashimi, salmon cooked with curry. But salmon hot pot is still the most favorite dish of many tourists. Besides, you can also enjoy the clean vegetables come along as cat, fresh bamboo shoots, delicious forest mushrooms of Sa Pa. And definitely when you finish this best food Sapa, you will remember forever and want to return to the second and many other times.
4. Grilled food
At night, when the whole town is covered by cold, nothing is better than sitting near the cozy fireplace and tasting the hot grilled food. The fragrant from the tasty BBQ has such a strong attraction to whet your appetite.
The grilled pork deserves the best food Sapa. Grilled pork with Indian pepper is a must-eat dish when traveling to Sapa. After being marinated in India pepper, the grilled pork will be grilled on the hot stove. The softness and featured taste of this food will irresistible to anyone who tasted it.
Grilled fish is also a great food in Sapa. Sapa has many kinds of fishes: The goby fish, bighead carp, and… Each kind has their differences. They are usually found in the stream of Sapa. The sweetness and freshness of this dish will be an unforgettable experience for diners.
Maybe this is the best food Sapa you should try once in your life. The Black-Bone Silky Fowl grilled with honey, mint and served with pepper, salt and lemon is such a tasty dish for tourists.
5. Steamed glutinous rice with seven colors of Nung Din people
With Nung people, Xoi Bay Mau (steamed glutinous rice with seven colors) is special food here. This dish is splendid with seven colors made from different natural leaves, including pink, vermilion, scarlet, bright green, yellow green, and banana leaf green and yellow. Each color has its own meaning. According to history of Nung Din people, each color in this steamed glutinous rice is one color of each month in the struggle of Nung Din people lasting from January to July here. Banana leaf green is the color of spring, scarlet is the color of blood of people who died for Nung Din people’s struggle, yellow is the color of agonies, vermilion is the color of the magnanimous victory of Nung Din People, etc.
Skillful Nung women choose only the good glutinous rice which has big, long seed. After that, they soak the rice in water about 12 hours and then soak again in colors about 3 hours. Next, rice is washed, put separately into a pot and cook about 1.5 to 2 hours. Attractive colors and smell, this dishes is really delicious and typical.
6. Smoked meat
If you visit the H’Mong people ‘s house in their villages, you can see many pieces of meat that are gathered on a tray. The meat comes from the horse, buffalo, and pig and they are smoked to store. This method of storing food can keep the food usable up to a few years.
Sa Pa smoked meat is made from the lean shoulder, lean back of pigs. After being carefully selected, marinated with a lot of spices typical of the forest, they are put on the wood stove.
Firstly, the meat is carefully washed, after that, they are fried with tomato and bamboo sprout. The dish will have a unique fragrance and featured taste when it is done. You can experience the taste of this best food Sapa
7. Black-Bone Silky Fowl
The Black-Bone Silky Fowl is a very special dish of the Mong people because it has the black bone and meat. The crunchy skin and the black chicken meat offer such a new taste. The scientists have proven that eating the black-bone silky fowl can make you treat heart diseases and increase your sexual ability.
The most famous dish made from the Black-Bone Silky Fowl is grilled Black-Bone Silky Fowl and honey. The delicious and excellent taste of this dish will surely meet your need. You can feel what is the best food Sapa when eating it.
These are many delicious and unique dishes, which feature the flavor of the Northwestern region. They all deserve the title of the best food Sapa. Hope you can experience them soon and depend on your taste, choose your favorite dish of your own in your Sapa trip!
