Hue green nuoc - the sashimi of the ancient capital, the whole country is feverish for what reason?

The swallow, also known as the swallow, has a rounded, transparent or light blue body. The snail is related to jellyfish, but only as big as a lemon.

This mollusk is often found in brackish lagoons in Hue, appearing in many areas of Cau Hai lagoon, Tam Giang lagoon ... According to locals, depending on the water, the color of the swallow will have different intensity.

Ms. Minh Thuong, a resident of Da Nang, shared: "Nuoc in my hometown is also called the green jellyfish, which appears in late spring when the weather is light sunny and windy. The size of the swallow when first picked up was as big as the hand. The swallow will come out of the water and drip gradually, reaching the consumer with only a donut."

In the summer, the swallows emerge in patches on the surface of the water, are picked up by the people, immersed in the water, and then brought to the market to sell.

Benign swallowing, eating does not taste fishy, nor itchy, so it is easy to prepare. Diners who buy noodles, just need to preliminarily process them clean with water, they can eat raw with Hue fish sauce, with herbs, fresh figs, sliced cucumbers, astringent bananas, sour caramels, chili peppers ...

If you are not used to eating raw food, you can make it into vinegar noodles and many other delicacies. However, fresh rice sauce served with Hue fish sauce is more popular because of its cool taste, crispy fresh meat, which has the effect of cooling off in hot summer days.

"The original taste of the swallow will be salty, there is no way to make it all salty, only how to mix a lot of vegetables such as bananas, mangoes, jackfruit, vegetables ... and season with MSG, squeeze the lemon," Thuong added.

The best version of Hue sashimi must be eaten on the same day, especially when the swallow has just been caught on the shore, if left overnight, the swallow will lose water and shrink. Take a fresh swallow, chop it with raw vegetables, dip to make Hue rice even drenched, put it to your mouth to enjoy. Delicious taste once remembered forever.

The swallow season each year is quite short, difficult to preserve, so the dish is still quite unfamiliar to many people. Recently, images of seafood with colors like the blue sea are going viral on social networks. A lot of TikTokers, YouTubers... Share videos and get thousands and millions of interactions from netizens.

When they first saw the image of the swallow, most could not guess what it was, even surprised at the lovely color of this creature. To make it more beautiful, many people also soak it with pea perfume for a darker green color.

In fact, the swallow is related to jellyfish, usually divided into two parts: the soft ear swallow and the lumpy brittle leg swallow. According to locals, depending on the water, the color of the swallows will have different intensity, but the most common is turquoise.

Unlike jellyfish that live all year round in the salt water of the sea, the swallow only usually appears in summer, common in brackish lagoons in Hue, such as Cau Hai lagoon, Tam Giang lagoon...

In Hue folklore, there are many dishes that are read camp names. For example, saying camp goes from "smoke" cake to "pleasure" cake. The name of the swallow is a similar case.

Nuoc is the name in the dialect of the swallow. Hue people often read camp rhyme "t" into rhyme "c", so "swallow" is turned into "swallow" from time to time. Perhaps this jellyfish is very easy to eat, easy to swallow, so Hue people often rhyme as "swallow", which means eating this dish in the tense... Swallow it all, no need to chew much!

The swallow is only delicious when it is in season and must be very fresh. Moreover, people eat them only for one day, through the next day will no longer be juicy, crunchy.

What season is awake. Every year, in season, the burdens are sold in many markets near the lagoons. The swallows are in baskets, brass containing brackish water, with a few ice cubes to keep them fresh, crispy and delicious. On social media, many people insist on trying the nuoc because they are curious about the taste.

Some have tried it and commented: "The swallow has a slightly salty taste, giving us a sense of the taste of the sea and lagoon, when held in the mouth, it has the sweet cool taste of fresh and sweet seafood."

For many people, the swallow is not only a delicious food, cooling the hearts of both young and old, but it also evokes memories of the idyllic river image in the countryside of Hue people far from home.

In Hue, nuoc is quite cheap, only 30,000 VND per serving. Due to the needs of diners, the nuoc has been transported to distant provinces such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang... And the price is pushed up quite high. The price ranges from 120,000 - 200,000 VND/kg depending on the type and time. However, diners are still willing to spend to have the opportunity to enjoy this fancy and fancy delicacy of Hue.

Sellers usually divide the swallow into two parts: ears and legs. Ear swings are suitable for tongs with raw vegetables dotted with flakes or as salads. And the crunchy legs are cooked with vinegar noodles. The purchased legs will be soaked in cold water and guava leaves to create crunch. When you are close to eating, take it out to drain, the more drained the swallow, the crispier it is.

Ms. Hoa, an online trader in Hanoi said: "The green early season nuts are seasonal Hue specialties, so they can only take advantage of selling this range. The price of ear swallows is 120,000 VND/kg, whole swallows 140,000 VND/kg, leg swallows 180,000 VND/kg".

"People with high blood pressure, people with kidney failure should not eat nuts, because of the high salt content. Anyone with a weak stomach should not eat," Hoa advised.

If you have the opportunity to visit Hue in the right season, visitors can find the noodle vinegar restaurant right at the beginning of Chi Lang street, near Dong Ba market, down towards Gia Hoi bridge. A full bowl of vinegar noodles costs 30,000 VND.