Local Specialties
Because of the unique and mountainous flavor of the cuisine here, the food in Pu Luong is really worth buying to enjoy. Especially some regional specialties such as Co Lung duck, Lam rice in bamboo tubes, bamboo shots, Hoi tangerine, Hoi tangerine tea, wine… This is also a way to preserve the highland flavor back to your daily meal.
Brocade:
A special thing is that brocade here is not woven to sell to tourists, but only to serve the indigenous people. Because here tourism has not developed as vigorously as Mai Chau or Sapa. The brocade here is made by the skillful hands of Thai ethnic women. The fabric is handmade, so it is quite sturdy. Visitors can buy small items such as: Pieu towel (a kind of headscarf of Thai people), scarf, Thai ethnic costumes, tablecloth…
Spices:
Mac Khen seeds
Mac Khen seed is a black-gray seed used as a spice in dipped, boiled, and grilled dishes. In the land of Pu Luong, people often eat boiled bamboo shoots with Mac Khen, Roast Duck marinated with mac khen seeds… The smell of these seeds is very fragrant and spicy like pepper. Many people mistakenly think this is forest pepper. Thai people here often go to the forest to pick mac khen fruit in October-November then dry its seeds under the sun or leave them on a smoked stove. When the seeds are dry, they are roasted and poured into a bowl, and pounded by hand. Mac khen would be mixed with a little salt or added to fish sauce.
Doi seeds
Another kind of seasoning seed in Pu Luong is the Doi seed. This seed is also processed and used similar to Mac Khen seed, but Doi seeds are larger. They are known as “Pu Luong Black Gold”. People often combine Doi seeds with Mac Khen seeds to make spices for boiled dishes such as: boiled duck, boiled chicken, buffalo meat upstairs kitchen…
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