I have also been to many provinces and tasted all kinds of specialty fruits, but it was not until I visited Tra Vinh (now Vinh Long province) that I was truly captivated by a flavor that was both familiar and strange: Cau Ke wax coconut.
The trip came about by chance. Thanks to a friend’s recommendation, I had the opportunity to visit a wax coconut garden located along Cau Ke Bridge. The path to the garden was small and narrow, with rows of dark green coconut trees on both sides, their leaves intertwined and swaying with each rustling river breeze. The sound of roosters crowing and children playing echoed from the red-tiled roofs of houses along the road, creating a peaceful picture of the countryside that many of us city dwellers can only find in our memories.
The garden owner is Uncle Ba - a farmer who has been attached to coconuts since childhood. Welcoming guests with a simple smile, he tells stories like an endless stream: from the history of the wax coconut tree appearing in this land in the 1940s, to the way the people here cherish and care for each coconut tree like a treasure. "Growing wax coconuts is just like growing normal coconuts, but the solid wax inside is given by God, we cannot decide", Uncle Ba said with a smile. According to him, in a bunch of wax coconuts, only about 1/4 of the fruits have wax, the rest are still normal coconuts. Sometimes the whole bunch has no wax fruit. That randomness is what makes the value of wax coconuts: precious, rare and unpredictable.
Standing under the cool shade of a coconut tree, I watched Uncle Ba skillfully cut open a freshly picked wax coconut. Inside was not the clear liquid like a regular coconut, but a smooth, sticky, creamy white flesh. He scooped it into a bowl, added a little condensed milk, some crushed roasted peanuts and a few crushed ice cubes. The result was a rustic yet incredibly attractive “mixed wax coconut” dish.
When the first spoon touched my tongue, I understood why people love this flavor so much. It was rich but not too rich, sweet but not too harsh, with a hint of milk and peanut aroma. The coldness of the ice mixed with the softness of the coconut rice awakened my mouth. In the cool space, the sound of coconut leaves rustling, the sound of the wind playing on the river, the delicious taste seemed to spread throughout my body. I suddenly thought, if I enjoyed this dish in a fancy cafe in the city, I probably would never have such a complete feeling.
Indeed, life is sometimes like that bunch of coconuts: some are sweet, some are bad, and we never know what we will receive. But it is the surprise that makes the poetry. If everything were certain, perhaps life would lose its fun. The wax coconut, with its randomness, becomes a gentle reminder: to appreciate the unexpected, because sometimes they are priceless gifts.
Leaving the coconut garden, I carried with me an unforgettable sweet aftertaste. If I have the chance to go to the West, I believe that once sitting under the canopy of Cau Ke coconut, enjoying a spoonful of cool wax coconut, you will understand what it means to have “five senses speaking”. Taste, smell, sight, hearing, touch – all blended together in a very simple moment, but enough to become a memory that will be kept forever in the heart.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dua-sap-mon-qua-ngau-nhien-cua-dat-troi-post811927.html
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