Enjoy specialties under the canopy of the world's second largest mangrove forest

Mudskippers are a typical fish in mangrove areas. Despite their ugly appearance, this small fish is special because it can swim, run on water or land, and can even climb trees - Photo: THANH HUYEN

Ca Mau province has about 90,000 hectares of mangrove forests stretching along the coast, about 254km from the East Sea (Tan Thuan commune, Dam Doi district) to the West Sea (Khanh Tien commune, U Minh district).

Mangrove forests in Ca Mau have the second largest area in the world, after the Amazon forest of South America.

Ca Mau has nearly 40,000 hectares of ecological shrimp and crab farming under the forest canopy - Photo: THANH HUYEN

This place has a very unique and diverse ecosystem, with rich vegetation including many types of trees: mangrove, acacia, parrot, banyan, stone, su, toad... and many species of animals such as: shrimp, crab, fish, clams, snails, crabs, oysters...

In addition to its task of preventing erosion, Ca Mau mangrove forests also help to deposit the sea, increasing the territorial area of ​​our country. Specifically, to the west of Ca Mau Cape, there is a large alluvial plain with an area of ​​6,500 hectares, which every year, thanks to alluvial deposits, gradually encroaches 50-80m into the sea.

Tourists coming to Ca Mau will be able to freely "ride" on a canoe through the forest - Photo: THANH HUYEN

Clam beaches stretch along the coast. Visitors can catch them themselves and process them into many different dishes - Photo: THANH HUYEN

For generations, Ca Mau mangrove forests have been a conservation area providing safe shelter for many rare and precious wildlife species. At the same time, the extremely diverse ecosystem along the forest edge has created livelihoods for many households from catching crabs and snails. The products under the forest canopy have delighted visitors from near and far because of their deliciousness and firmness.

Catching clams by hand on the coastal alluvial ground is an interesting experience for tourists from near and far - Photo: THANH HUYEN

When mentioning the place names Nam Can and Ngoc Hien in Ca Mau province, people not only immediately think of the vast mangrove forests, but also admire the culinary delights of the sea crab in this land.

Ca Mau crabs are famous nationwide for their firm, sweet meat due to living in an area with a lot of alluvial deposits - Photo: THANH HUYEN

In addition to exploring nature, visitors can also organize group picnics, set up tents to camp overnight or stay overnight in the fresh nature; prepare their own dishes by the red-hot charcoal stove, such as boiled crab, shrimp paste, coconut-fried snails, braised brown fish with fruit, three-sided crab, etc.

Catching brown fish under the forest canopy to make braised brown fish with star fruit is an interesting choice when coming to Ca Mau - Photo: THANH HUYEN

A feature of the Cape that you cannot miss is the specialty of salted three-sided crab. Three-sided crab belongs to the crab family, often living in mangrove areas, they eat fallen black mangrove fruits so their meat is very firm and has red roe.

Catching crabs at night is one of the ecotourism activities in Ca Mau that attracts many tourists - Photo: THANH HUYEN

Dam Doi salted crab is one of the products that has achieved 4-star OCOP certification in Ca Mau - Photo: THANH HUYEN

Snails live under the forest canopy, often crawling up trees when the water is high and crawling down to the roots when the tide is low. This snail is stir-fried with coconut milk and a little seasoning, the delicious taste of the snail meat mixed with the fatty taste of coconut milk will create an unforgettable impression for diners.

Taking advantage of the time when the water has just receded to catch snails is an interesting experience - Photo: THANH HUYEN

Coconut-fried snails is a dish you should try once because of the sweetness of the snails and the richness of the coconut milk. In particular, this dish requires customers to use strong suction to make the snails run into their mouths - Photo: THANH HUYEN

A typical rustic dish familiar in the meals of people in Ca Mau region is shrimp paste. With the rich flavor of shrimp, the spicy taste of chili and ginger, combined with crispy papaya and the characteristic sour taste of the sauce, creating an extremely attractive dish.

Shrimp paste is often combined with pork and sour and astringent fruits to neutralize the aroma of the fish sauce and the richness of the pork - Photo: THANH HUYEN

Ca Mau specialties with delicious flavors typical of the West will bring you impressive taste experiences that once tasted will be hard to forget.

Ca Mau mangrove forests have two types: coastal mangrove forests and production forests.

Animals living under the canopy of coastal mangrove forests and alluvial areas for aquatic species regeneration will be strictly protected, and exploitation and fishing in any form will be prohibited.

Production forests are granted to people to both raise shrimp and crabs and develop the economy and tourism. In production forest areas, people will be able to exploit products under the forest canopy or raise and develop a variety of aquatic species.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thuong-thuc-dac-san-duoi-tan-rung-ngap-man-lon-thu-2-the-gioi-20250316192830009.htm#content-5