On July 25, in an exchange with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Vo Thi Thu Van - Vice Chairwoman of An Phu Commune People's Committee said that more than 7,000 people and tourists attended the opening night of the Don An Phu Festival, which took place on the evening of July 24 in the area south of Co Luy bridge, An Phu commune.
This is the first time the Don An Phu Festival has been organized to promote Don An Phu specialties; honor the unique culinary values of the locality associated with preserving and promoting traditional cultural values. At the same time, introduce and connect consumption of OCOP products and local specialties.
The festival has 42 booths. In addition to dishes from clams and mussels, the festival also introduces many traditional dishes such as: fish cake ram, corn ram, stir-fried corn, various types of snails, banh beo, banh xeo, banh cuon, sweet soup, xu xoa, tofu and many other snacks.
Amidst the bustling crowd at the festival, Ms. Nguyen Thai Thanh Binh (resident of Truong Quang Trong ward) while enjoying a hot bowl of don fruit, recounted that initially she only intended to stop by because she found the name "Don Festival" quite strange, and it was the weekend. However, the bustling atmosphere and crowded stalls made her stay for a long time without realizing it.
I didn't think the festival would be so crowded and fun. Adults and children are all excited. Rustic dishes such as don, banh xeo... are all imbued with the flavor of our hometown and the price is very affordable, and workers can also easily enjoy them. I hope festivals like this will be held annually so that people have more places to play, and tourists will know more about Quang Ngai cuisine," Ms. Binh said.
The festival takes place in 3 days, from July 24 - 26, with many rich activities such as: displaying and introducing OCOP products and typical products of the commune; experiencing don dining; enjoying don cuisine and folk dishes.
Along with that are art performances of chanting Bai Choi; Don Ambassador "The person who eats Don the most", Good Content Creator with the theme "Don An Phu - Homeland flavor"; recycled costume performance with the theme "Recycled colors - Joining hands to protect the environment", and many other attractive cultural and exchange activities.
Don is a mollusk species exploited by people on the Tra Khuc River and is a famous specialty of Quang Ngai.
To get a delicious don pot, the cook must go through many meticulous steps. The don after being raked is scrubbed clean of its skin, washed thoroughly and then soaked to release all the sand. Then, the don is boiled until it is opened, releasing a sweet, clear and completely natural broth. This broth is considered the "soul" of the dish.
Don meat after being separated from the skin is kept, combined with shredded onions, crispy grilled rice paper and a sufficient amount of seasoning. All blend together to create a rustic bowl of don but with a very unique flavor of Quang region. When enjoying, the eater breaks the rice paper into small pieces and puts them in the bowl so that the cake gradually absorbs the don water, feeling the crispness mixed with the sweetness of the broth, mixed with the slight spiciness of green chili, creating a rich and unforgettable flavor.
