Thanh Tra - a delicious and elegant specialty fruit of the ancient capital

The pomelo is small and not as juicy as grapefruit but is delicious, sweet and flavorful.

The ancient capital of Hue is famous for many specialties that delight tourists from all over the world. In addition to mussel rice, sour shrimp, beef noodles, sesame candy, banh canh, banh bot loc... there is also a fruit that has been elevated to the brand level of this land, which is thanh tra fruit.

Pomelos are grown in many places in Thua Thien - Hue province, typically in Thuy Bieu (Hue city), Phong Thu (Phong Dien district), Huong Van (Huong Tra town), Duong Hoa (Huong Thuy town). Of these, Thuy Bieu pomelos are considered the most delicious.

Pomelo gardens start to ripen around the seventh lunar month. Photo: Biz Media

Thanh Tra Thuy Bieu has been a famous specialty in Hue for hundreds of years. In the past, this fruit was a specialty offered to the king. According to historical documents, under the Nguyen Dynasty, every year, Thanh Tra fruit - a famous specialty of Thua Thien - was carefully selected to be offered to the king's palace.

Today, the pomelo has become a typical symbol of the ancient capital of Hue. Every July of the lunar calendar, the pomelo gardens of the ancient capital begin to ripen, giving off a sweet fragrance. The pomelo harvest season lasts about 2 months and there is only one season a year.

From the outside, the pomelo is smaller than a grapefruit, has a pear-shaped shape, and the skin is sunny yellow, not green. The fruit weighs small, on average from 0.7kg to 1kg.

In return, the fruit has fragrant flesh and clear yellow segments; although not as juicy as some grapefruits, it has a sweet, mild aroma, cools the throat, and is memorable after just one bite.

The difference between pomelo and grapefruit. Photo: Biz Media

Thanh Tra is not only fragrant in the segments of the fruit, but also from the peel to the leaves and flowers. Many people say that the special delicious taste of the fruit comes from the combination of drought, storms, floods and heavy rains in Hue combined with the alluvial soil and the cool water of the Huong River. That is why the fruit has a unique and delicious flavor.

Good pomelos have thin, shiny skin and a sunny color. Thanks to their low water content, Hue pomelos can be stored for several months. The longer they are stored, the sweeter they become, and their rich flavor remains almost intact.

In addition to eating fresh fruit, Hue people also use pomelos to make salads, especially dried squid salad, shrimp salad... To make dried squid salad, people take grilled dried squid, shred it, put it in a pan, stir to heat it up, then add pomelos with separated segments. Mix the mixture well with a little fish sauce, lime, chili, and garlic to have an elegant, flavorful dish, full of Hue flavor.

With high economic value and potential, Hue pomelo was granted a Certificate of Trademark by the Intellectual Property Office in 2008. Notably, in 2014, Thuy Bieu pomelo was in the top 50 most famous fruit specialties in Vietnam, and was one of the 5 specialties of Thua Thien - Hue that set an Asian record.

Thanh Tra is currently a precious fruit used as a gift by the people of Hue, a specialty product to serve tourists, and also a special symbolic dish of the culinary culture of the ancient capital.

Vnexpress.net