A Hanoi Delicious Nosh – Ô Mai

Ô Mai (Salted or sugared dry fruits) – a special gift to buy when traveling Hanoi, which has always been recognized as a famous Vietnamese snack. Owing to specific materials and handed-down recipes from generation to generation, Ô Mai becomes a specialty of Hanoi.

Ô Mai is a perfect combination of the sour taste, saltiness, spicy and natural sweetness, which is favored by a lot of Vietnamese people, especially women. Hanoi is famous for many types of tasty delicious sugared dry fruits, from dracontomelum, peach, and lemon to the mandarin, apricots, and plums. Each fruit represents a season, a different locality and then in every season of ripe fruits, they send to the space and the earth numerous colors and flavors. Going to Bac Kan to see yellow apricots in sunny April, to Moc Chau for plums in a June noon, the season of ripe dracontomelum fills the autumn air of Hanoi. Particularly lemon fruit is available year-round, and adaptable to many soil types and rural areas.

The variation of the flavor of Ô Mai from sour, hot, salted, to sweet has enchanted many visitors to Hanoi. Coming to Hanoi, after a visit to Hanoi Old Quarter, you should go to Hàng Đường or Hàng Ngang, Phố Huế where the most delicious and wonderful Ô Mai are sold. Interestingly, at these shops, you can feel free to taste all kinds of Ô Mai before paying for the most favorite. Ô Mai is a delicious affordable gift for your friends each time you visit Hanoi.

*A store that sells Ô Mai on Hang Duong Street.* Photo: Google

For the past years, Ô Mai – salted or sugared dry fruits, was still a favorite and particularly with Hanoian. Time flies and many other dishes come out, but nothing can replace the feelings of Vietnamese for this traditional nosh.

Silk Path Travel Guide: Where to buy ‘Ô Mai’
• Ô Mai Tiến Thịnh: 21 Hàng Đường str., Hoàn Kiếm Dist., Hà Nội
• Ô Mai Hồng Lam: 11 Hàng Đường str., Hoàn Kiếm Dist., Hà Nội
(10 mins walk from Silk Path Hotel Hanoi/ Silk Path Boutique Hanoi)