Vop in Ca Mau
A Vietnamese folk song says:
“Rừng đước Ngọc Hiển Năm Căn
Ai về mà bắt vọp ăn đã thèm”
“Mangrove forests in Ngoc Hien district, Nam Can district
Come there to catch Vop and eat until full”
Vop is one of Specialty foods of Ca Mau. Vop is a bivalve, it is 3 times bigger than scallop. They live in the mouth of the sea, mangrove forests in Mekong Delta. Especially, in Ngoc Hien district, Nam Can district in Ca Mau province, there are many Vop which flesh is sweet-tastier, crunchier than the flesh of Vop in other places. Vop should not be cooked for too long. Otherwise, its flesh will be too crunchy. The simplest way to eat Vop is boiling, then dipping its flesh in sweet and sour dipping fish sauce. The broth is eaten as a soup with steamed rice or rice noodles.
Vop is also used to cook a lot of delicious dishes:
- Boiled Vop dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce,
- Boiled Vop with ginger,
- Grilled Vop with onion oil,
- Grilled Vop with fermented tofu,
- Sweet and sour soup with Vop,
- Stir-fried Vop with ormocarpum cochinchinense,
- Porridge with Vop,
- Braised Vop with lemongrass and chili pepper,
- Soup with Vop and fermented steamed rice,
- Salad with Vop and banana blossom,
- Steamed Vop with minced pork.
According to old people in Ca Mau, there are a large number of Vop in Ca Mau in the past. The number of wild Vop has been decreased, wild Vop is 4-5 times more expensive than raised Vop. An experienced Vop fisherman knows how to find out a Vop easily due to bubbles. Bubbles created by Vop is different from bubbles created by shrimps and fiddler crab.
Coming to Ca Mau province, besides sightseeing beautiful landscape with the immense sea, a big system of rivers, channels, ponds and lakes, green forests, tourists should not miss unique dishes including Vop.
Read more about Specialty foods of Ca Mau
