For a long time, dishes made from papaya fruit, leaves, flowers... have been known and loved by many people. However, using the core of the papaya tree as food is probably not known to many people.

Recently, Ms. Le Tinh (born 1987, Ha Tinh ) made the community of people who love growing clean vegetables at home "open their eyes" with a dish that, according to her, is very expensive in winter. That is the dish of pickled papaya root.

Talking to VietNamNet, Ms. Tinh said: "I was born and raised in Quang Binh . Since I was little, I have seen my grandparents and parents make this dish to eat. The sour, crunchy taste of pickled papaya root is very special, much better than radish. If anyone cannot eat the bitter taste of flowers and leaves, pickled papaya stem is a great choice. Because pickling is only delicious, not bitter at all."

The process of making pickled papaya is similar to making other pickled vegetables. The ingredients are simple and easy to find: the stem, roots of the papaya tree and white salt.

According to Ms. Tinh, when pickling, you should choose the large roots and the solid base of the papaya tree, not the young hollow stem above. "The older the papaya tree, the more delicious it is. The solid part is more delicious than the hollow part above," Ms. Tinh revealed.

Use a knife to peel off the hard outer skin of the papaya stem and roots, then cut them into circles. Wash the core and cut it into matchbox-sized squares.

dish from the root of the du du tree 8.jpg

Next, Ms. Tinh mixes the sliced ​​papaya with coarse salt, arranges it in a jar/pot, and presses it down. Boil a pot of salt water, let it cool, and then pour it over the jar. The papaya can be eaten after about 7-10 days of salting. Ms. Tinh follows the recipe of her "ancestors" so there is no specific ratio of salt and papaya. But according to her, the amount of salt used will be more than when salting pickled cabbage, because thickly sliced ​​papaya is harder to absorb. "If you accidentally add too much salt and it is too salty, before using the papaya to cook, you should slice it and rinse it with water to reduce the saltiness immediately."

The finished pickled papaya is kept in a jar or pot with water to be eaten all year round. Because the papaya tree is large, the amount of papaya pickled each time is quite large, so Ms. Tinh shares it with her neighbors and relatives. She takes out the remaining, washes it, and stores it in the refrigerator to eat gradually.

"Pickled papaya is used to braise fish, braise meat, make salad, stir-fry... all very delicious. If I braise fish, I put in the pot a layer of sliced ​​papaya, a layer of pork belly, a layer of fish and then add a layer of papaya on top. Then add spices to taste, chili, add enough water and braise. In the cold winter, having papaya braised with fish is very delicious," said Ms. Tinh.

Ms. Tinh's post about pickled papaya on social media quickly attracted the attention of the online community, with tens of thousands of views expressing emotions, comments and shares.

Most people were surprised by this unique dish. Some people were skeptical, thinking that Ms. Tinh wrote the article to attract views and likes. However, many people shared that their grandparents and parents had also made pickled papaya when they were children.

Account Nguyen Khac Son commented: "Salted papaya root braised with fish sauce will make your rice pot explode. You should try it."

"That dish from the old days. When the storm came, all the trees were knocked down, so we had to cut them down and divide them into pieces for each person to stir-fry. It was almost like eating bamboo shoots," commented Thao Le.

"Childhood dish. In the past, our family had a papaya tree. In 1989, there was a big storm and the papaya tree fell down. The fruits, big and small, were harvested and divided among the neighbors, each family had a few, and each person had a piece of the tree. I remember my mother cutting it into slices and burying it in the ash stove all day, then washing it and then salting it. Back then, it was so delicious when we braised it to eat during the flood, but it's been so long that I've forgotten the taste," shared a Chinese account.

"I just asked my dad. He said that in the past, when papaya fell due to storms, it meant work. They sliced ​​it thinly, dried it, and ate it like dried bamboo shoots," Ha An commented.

Many people joked: "This year is truly a disaster for the papaya tree, from the flowers to the top, now the roots have been eaten away. This is the 82nd calamity of the papaya and chicken this year."

'Hellish' Tofu - A controversial dish that is notorious for its cruelty

'Hellish' Tofu - A controversial dish that is notorious for its cruelty

According to the New York Post, this is perhaps "one of the most brutal dishes" because live loach fish are put into the pot and cooked as they plunge into "another hell".
Quang Ngai man in Hanoi mixes delicious green mango and dried squid salad

Quang Ngai man in Hanoi mixes delicious green mango and dried squid salad

Many people enjoy gathering with friends, having some light dishes to nibble on and chat about. Green mango salad with dried squid is simple, cheap, but surprisingly delicious.
America rated 'the best vegetable in the world' turns out to be a vegetable familiar to Vietnamese people

America rated 'the best vegetable in the world' turns out to be a vegetable familiar to Vietnamese people

Among the 41 most nutritious fruits and vegetables evaluated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), watercress ranked at the top.

Photo: NVCC