Black canarium is a kind of big tree with average height from 15 to 20 metres and diameter up to 90 centimetres. It is a perennial, which flowers in February and bears ripe fruits in July. 

People in Hoang Van commune prepare canarium salad.

Canarium is diamond-shaped and light green when it is young and it turns into dark purple when it is ripen. The fruit flesh has deep rosy colour containing carbon hydrate, protid, lipid and minerals including calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc, which are very good for health.

Locals can make many popular mouth-watering folk dishes such as black canarium salad, well-cooked canarium with pork, caramelized fish with black canarium, black canarium shank in fish sauce, glutinous rice with canarium and black canarium shank in soya sauce.

Ingredients for canarium salad.

Black canarium salad is a tasty dish, which is fancied for the special taste of black canarium, dulcet flavor of dried fish and pork and aroma of seasonings, herbs, sesame and peanut.

This dish is made with many steps. Firstly, canarium fruits are dipped in warm water (about 60 to 70 celsius degree) in 7 to 10 minutes, then we separate the seeds to take the flesh and mince them. Pork is cleaned, drained and marinaded in fish sauce and seasonings in about 1 hour.

Canarium flesh is minced into small threads.

Then, pork is steamed, cooled down and sliced into thin pieces. Pork can be fried or grilled depending on different appetites.

Carp is fried or grilled and removed bones. Other ingredients include sliced banana bulbs, fried sesame and peanut, star fruits sliced into thin pieces, minced fig leaves, young sesame leaves, coconut flesh and other herbs.

All of the prepared ingredients are mixed together with some soya sauce for better smelling and more well-seasoned salad.

Canarium salad is a popular folk dish in Hiep Hoa district.

According to Pham Duy Trung, Chairman of the people’s committee of Hoang Van commune, the commune is expected to harvest about 18 tonnes of black canarium fruits this year sold at 130,000 VND (5.73 USD) per kilo. The tasty canarium salad is often chosen as a gift or special dish to treat guests by local people.

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