Not only famous for its natural beauty and landscapes, cool and fresh air, Sapa is best known for specialities that have attracted more and more tourists.
Sapa is home to sub-tropical vegetables: white cauliflower, reb beet, chayote… Boiled chayote consumed with sesame is a must to enjoy for visitors. Remember, it should be eaten while it’s hot and it’ll be tasteless if it’s undercooked or overcooked. “Ngồng” or vegetable stock is always sold like “hot cake”. There might be garlic or chayote stock and it’s much tastier if it’s cooked with meat.
Dry mushroom can be found all 4 seasons. It swells in water but it retains its original flavour. Dry mushroom can be cooked with meat or dry squid.
“Pork cắp nách” or the pig carried under armpit is good. It’s called “cắp nách” because it might just round 10kg. It is “home pig” but it’s raised in the field or in the forest. So its meat is very delicious and fatless. Such a pig, killed and spiced before frying, is very tasty and the meat is tender but sweetish.
Located high in the mountain, but Sapa is well-known for its fish caught from stream Mường Hoa and Mường Tiên. Sapa fish varies in species: white fish, black fish, even spoted fish. Normally, Sapa fish is not big, just as a finger or so and it doesn’t get stinky. It can be barbecued or fried. Sapa salmon is originally imported from Finland and Russia, raised in streams. Nothing better than a hot-pot on cold days in Sapa
