With a leafy canopy, sau, known scientifically as Dracontomelon duperreanum, is planted to provide shade and has become one of the summer symbols of the Vietnamese capital city.
Its edible fruits have long been used as a souring agent or candied treat. Thought it is not a premium food, whenever the season arrives almost all homes in Hanoi stockpile a few kilograms in their fridges to use until next year.
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Sau fruit are packaged in vacuum bags to be transported abroad.
Duck simmered with sau is a must-try dish in summer when its unmistakable flavour is always ready to serve those who desire to savour a taste of Hanoi summer.
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Duck simmered with sau fruit
Crispy sau fruit mixed with a variety of seasonings to add saltiness, sweetness and spiciness to the sour taste of sau are highly popular among students and office workers. Just a look can cause your saliva to flow.
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Sau mixed with a variety of seasonsings
Meanwhile sau dipped in sugar water is a wonderfully refreshing drink to help you quench your raging thirst during days of searing heat.
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Sau steeped in sugary water
Another must-try dish with the fruit is o mai sau, or salted sau mixed with ginger, which would have been a big mistake if we forgot to mention it here.
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Salty sau mixed with ginger
Besides sugary water, fresh sau fruit can be steeped in fish sauce to create a unique food best enjoyed with water morning glory.
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Sau steeped in fish sauce
In recent years, sau has been added to various dishes to offer new tastes to traditional foods. In this photo, a bowl of duck soup cooked with taro, morning glory and sau.
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