Candied fruits for a candy Year of the Cat
Its popularity might have declined over the years in Vietnam, but to the Vietnamese expats, mứt Tết remains one of the few links home to resurrect our new spring festival atmosphere on foreign lands. As far as I know these candied fruits are unique to the Vietnamese New Year (Tết), just like the tteokguk and the yakwa to the Korean Seolnal. They are holiday gifts to friends and family, offerings at the altars to ancestors and deities, little snacks for children, tea confections for adults, and vegan treats for those who refrain from eating meat at the year’s beginning.
Mứt can be divided into two types: wet and dry. Visit any beef jerky (khô bò) and salted plums (xí muội) stores in Vietnamese shopping malls in the Tet season, you’d see a swarm of mứt in glass jars, the wet kinds wrapped in crunchy paper and the dry kind laying bare. The two most common wet mứt are tamarind (me) and soursop (mãng cầu). The former is kept in its scrawny form, with a few rope-like fibrous strings along the fruit’s length, which is to be discarded when eating, of course.
Tamarind mứt should be amber brown, chewy, and a little more sour than sweet. Tamarind is notorious for its medicinal effect, so be careful not to consume too many sticks at once. A similar chewy wet mứt is the soursop, but it’s always milkish white, doesn’t retain the fruit’s shape, and people tend to put too much sugar in the churning process.
On the dry side you can find some twenty common kinds, spanning both fruits and non-fruits (nuts and roots): coconut, persimmon, lotus seed, tomato, ginger slice, carrot, winter melon, apple, lemon, guava, water chesnut, etc. I’m particularly fond of the crunchy, aromatic coconut ribbons which as a kid I liked to hold in my mouth for hours to melt off all but the coconut itself; but this year I refrained from buying them to try the other kinds instead.
As advertised by the lady of the store, the scarlet kumquat mứt (mứt tắc) is “good enough to die for”. I’d say its texture is fresh, its color attractive, it’s not too killingly sweet (always a plus for these candied pieces), and it’s a thousand times better than the cherry they put in your hot fudge sundae. 😉 Word of mouth is it can help with digestion and lowering body temperature, and if you drink too much alcohol perhaps pack a few of these to detoxicate (or just don’t drink!).
The sweet potato mứt (mứt khoai lang) are warm yellow inch-long sticks without powder sugar coating, as dense as a medium boiled egg yolk and as sweet as the root itself. In a blind taste test, the first bite makes you think it resembles sweet potato, then the second casts some doubt because it’s denser and more consistent than sweet potato. It has the same medicinal effect as tamarind, but to a lesser degree.
Mudpie’s favorite of the five is labelled pomelo (bưởi), but it’s most likely the pomelo skin, sun-dried and pan-sweetened and powder-sugar-coated like American candies. It feels so light almost porous, the center has a subtle citrus pinch that would marry well a cup of hot chrysanthemum tea.
In the end, there’s no telling which kind of mứt everyone would like best, but there’s always some kind somewhere to each person’s liking. When you buy mứt, ask for a sample before settling on a 1-lb pound package, you can’t judge a mứt by its cover. Usually they cost $3-5 per half pound, and each little bite-size is packed with enough sugar that it’s best, though it may appear cheap, to buy $1-2 each kind, and buy many kinds. 🙂
Where I get my mứt this year: Eurasia Delight (inside Grand Century Mall)
1111 Story Rd Ste 1028
San Jose, CA 95122
(408) 293-1698
Anda telah melakukan pekerjaan yang luar biasa dan seluruh komunitas kami akan bersyukur kepada Anda.
1Saya tertarik bahwa saya mengamati web blog ini, persis info yang saya cari!
2I’ll right away grab your rss as I can not find your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly let me know so that I could subscribe. Thanks.
3I amm realky pleased too glance at this website posts whoch includws lots of usefful facts, thanks ffor providing thsse kinhds oof data.
4xnxx
I will right away grab your rss as I can not find your e-mail subscription link or newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Please let me know so that I could subscribe. Thanks.
5Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.
6wonderful post.Ne’er knew this, thanks for letting me know.
7I like what you guys are up also. Such intelligent work and reporting! Keep up the superb works guys I have incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my site 🙂
8Some really good articles on this internet site, regards for contribution. “My salad days, When I was green in judgment.” by William Shakespeare.
9you’ve an important blog here! would you prefer to make some invite posts on my weblog?
10wonderful post, very informative. I wonder why the other specialists of this sector don’t notice this. You must continue your writing. I’m confident, you’ve a great readers’ base already!
11Hello, you used to write fantastic, but the last few posts have been kinda boringK I miss your tremendous writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!
12I besides think so , perfectly indited post! .
13I am extremely impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days..
14I saw a lot of website but I conceive this one contains something special in it in it
15Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your web-site is so cool. I am impressed by the details that you’ve on this blog. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for extra articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched all over the place and just couldn’t come across. What an ideal web site.
16Really instructive and good structure of articles, now that’s user genial (:.
17I discovered your blog site on google and check a few of your early posts. Continue to keep up the very good operate. I just additional up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Seeking forward to reading more from you later on!…
18I was recommended this blog by my cousin. I am no longer positive whether or not this publish is written by him as nobody else understand such targeted approximately my difficulty. You are wonderful! Thanks!
19Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch since I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch! “Life is a continual upgrade.” by J. Mark Wallace.
20Hi there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my zynga group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Thanks
21Hello, you used to write wonderful, but the last several posts have been kinda boringK I miss your tremendous writings. Past several posts are just a bit out of track! come on!
22Definitely, what a splendid website and informative posts, I will bookmark your website.All the Best!
23I like what you guys are up too. This type of clever work and coverage! Keep up the good works guys I’ve you guys to my blogroll.
24I’m impressed, I have to say. Really hardly ever do I encounter a weblog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you may have hit the nail on the head. Your idea is excellent; the difficulty is something that not enough individuals are talking intelligently about. I’m very completely happy that I stumbled throughout this in my search for one thing regarding this.
25I went over this internet site and I conceive you have a lot of superb info , saved to bookmarks (:.
26Pretty nice post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing around your blog posts. After all I will be subscribing to your feed and I am hoping you write once more very soon!
27You could definitely see your expertise within the work you write. The arena hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to mention how they believe. All the time follow your heart.
28I’ve been browsing on-line greater than three hours today, yet I never found any fascinating article like yours. It’s beautiful price enough for me. In my opinion, if all webmasters and bloggers made excellent content as you probably did, the web will probably be much more helpful than ever before. “I thank God for my handicaps, for through them, I have found myself, my work and my God.” by Hellen Keller.
29Some truly fantastic information, Gladiola I found this. “Carthago delenda est. (Carthage must be destroyed.)” by Marcius Porcius Cato.
30Thank you for the good writeup. It if truth be told was a amusement account it. Look complex to more added agreeable from you! However, how can we keep up a correspondence?
31Wonderful blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally confused .. Any recommendations? Appreciate it!
32Very interesting points you have noted, thankyou for putting up.
33Trà Thái Nguyên và dịp Festival Trà Quốc tế 2026Nếu quan tâm đến trà xanh Thái Nguyên, đây là thời điểm đáng chú ý: từ ngày 30/10 đến 07/11/2026, tỉnh Thái Nguyên tổ chức Festival Trà Quốc tế với chủ đề “Thái Nguyên – Đệ nhất danh trà”, quy tụ các hoạt động trải nghiệm tại chính các vùng chè Tân Cương, Đồng Hỷ, La Bằng, Vô Tranh, Đồng Phúc. Đây là dịp các hợp tác xã, làng nghề chè trực tiếp giới thiệu sản phẩm, giúp người tiêu dùng dễ dàng so sánh và xác minh nguồn gốc hơn — cũng là thời điểm thị trường trà Thái Nguyên sôi động và được quan tâm nhiều nhất trong năm.
34Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason appeared to be on the web the simplest factor to keep in mind of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed at the same time as other people consider issues that they just do not recognize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as neatly as defined out the entire thing with no need side effect , folks can take a signal. Will likely be again to get more. Thanks
35whoah this blog is wonderful i love reading your articles. Keep up the great work! You know, a lot of people are hunting around for this info, you could help them greatly.
36Simply desire to say your article is as amazing. The clarity to your submit is simply nice and that i could think you are knowledgeable in this subject. Fine together with your permission allow me to clutch your RSS feed to stay updated with imminent post. Thanks a million and please continue the gratifying work.
37Wow, fantastic blog format! How lengthy have you been running a blog for? you make blogging glance easy. The total glance of your website is magnificent, let alone the content material!
38I like this web site very much so much superb information.
39I’d constantly want to be update on new blog posts on this web site, saved to fav! .
40I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your blog. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme? Great work!
41Hiya! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the good info you have got here on this post. I will probably be coming back to your weblog for extra soon.
42I’ve recently started a site, the information you offer on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.
43It’s really a nice and useful piece of information. I’m glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
44Hi, Neat post. There is an issue along with your web site in web explorer, may test this?K IE nonetheless is the market leader and a large part of folks will pass over your magnificent writing because of this problem.
45Your home is valueble for me. Thanks!…
46Your style is so unique compared to many other people. Thank you for publishing when you have the opportunity,Guess I will just make this bookmarked.
47Rattling nice pattern and great content, very little else we want :D.
48Nice blog here! Also your site loads up fast! What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
49Normally I don’t read post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to try and do so! Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, very nice article.
50