These are all the fruits and vegetables that I can recall back in the mid late 1980s before I left Vietnam as a refugee seek new life in America. These are actual fruits and vegetables that I have eaten and grown mostly in my grand parents yard. Some I even help grown myself. There are tons of other variety in Vietnam, but many I never got a chance to eat before.
“Nhang Long” – In front of my grand parents house, also house where I live until departure to new world, there were a few “Nhang Long” trees, if I recall back correctly, it only provided fruits once a year and need to be carefully taking care of prevent birds from eating it. The taste was so naturally sweet and smell really good.
“Mon Cau Ta” – Although this fruit doesn’t look nice, but it also taste so creamy sweet good. Also grown in the backyard. Kind of tricky to know when it’s ready to eat.
“Binh Bat” – This fruit grow on the side of the pond or creek or river, next to the water, it doesn’t have a taste, so plain, but when mixed with sugar, it is creamy good. Be careful of the tree fire ants when trying to get this fruit, because I got bitten a few times trying to get this fruit.
“Ban” – Watch out for the special “Ong Ban” bees, it can stung and hurt really bad, I got bitten a few times trying to get this fruit. This fruit doesn’t taste good plain, but dip with chilly salt, it’s good, but don’t eat too much it can give you sort of a bad stomach ache. I like the exploration to find this tree with a small boat down the creek to pick it.
“Oi” – This fruit smell good when ready to eat, the tree is one of the strongest tree I’ve ever climbed, I felt down a few times though, luckily it was just mud and soft dirt, no major injury. Don’t eat the seeds, it’s hard to digest, basically all you really eat is the outer layer.
“Man” – This fruit is beautiful, although some don’t taste as good. I remember going to my “Giuong Tu” house and pick a few every visit, dip it with chilly salt, yum taste pretty good, watch out for the bugs.
“Mit” – To many people this fruit stink, it smell bad, smell like fart, but I like it. It is true that the seeds if you boil and eat it, it will give you gas :). This grown in front yard, when it smell and crack, meaning it’s good to eat. It taste sweet.
“Cao”- I don’t eat this, but my grandma chew on it like tobacco, normally chew with “Trau”. The tree is tall, very tall, hard to climb and get the fruit. I never taste it but watch my grandma chew most of the time, and also I attempted to climb to get it for my grandma but didn’t make it, way too high to climb for me at the time.
“Lua”
“Sa-Ku-Che”
“Thanh Long”
“Du Sua”
“Me”
“Le-Ki-Ma”
“Cam”
“Quyt”
“Bui”
“Chuoi”
“Khom”
“Thom”
“Trau”
“Mon Cau”
“Dua Nuoc”
“Dua” and “Dua Eo”
“Xoai”
“Du Du”
“Rau Cang Cua”
“Rau Muon”
“Cay Song Doi”
“Siri” or “So Ri”
“Chum Rout”
“Chom Chom”
“Khe”
