Unique fish species found only in Hoang Lien Son mountain range
Hoang Lien Son is a mountain range known as the “roof of Indochina” and is always a challenge for anyone who wants to conquer it. In that pristine place, there are hidden secrets that, when discovered, make everyone amazed and admire the amazing creation of nature.
The bitter fish is a special fish species of this mountain range. In the past, there were mountain streams flowing through fields of thousands of hoang lien trees, so the water in the streams and the moss on the rocks also had a bitter taste and there was a type of fish that ate the moss on the rocks, so the flesh also had a bitter taste. Since then, this fish species has been called bitter fish.
This fish species is extremely rare, only found at an altitude above 2000m, in cold water sources all year round, and it takes a lot of experience to know where the bitter fish hides. Usually, they hide in sections with swirling water and many caves, crevices, strong running water, and occasionally, they can be seen swimming out of the rocks and then caught again.
The bitter fish is small in size, like a finger or slightly larger. Its back is shiny black, its belly is white, and its fins are mixed with red stripes, similar to carp.
When the water is low and flows gently, the fish cling to the rocks and get caught in the nets, but there is no sign of the bitter fish, which is also called “cá sâm”. The bitter fish-like cunning fish never comes out of the rocks. Its whole life is spent hiding in dark crevices, never sticking its head out.
For the local people, the bitter fish is one of the unforgettable specialty dishes. The bitter fish has the shape of a small fried fish. The fish equal to a finger, with a red and black body, and a white belly. When catching it, the belly is cut open with a knife, the fish intestines attached to the rocks are removed, then clipped onto a skewer or a sharp bamboo stick for grilling. The bitter fish has a strange taste, a small fish, as big as the size of a bop fish dish.
When eating, the bitterness of the fish quickly disappears in the mouth, and after a few seconds, the sweet taste spreads from the tip of the tongue to the throat, the lingering smell stays in the throat. The locals here believe that only the very lucky ones are able to enjoy the unique and unparalleled dish in this Northwestern land.
The fish species can only be caught by “drugging”
In the journey of hunting for bitter fish in Hoang Lien Son, according to the local people: “You must have a lot of experience to know where the bitter fish hides. Usually, they hide in sections with swirling water and many caves, crevices, strong running water.”
To catch the bitter fish, they have to divide into 2 groups to act. One group digs small stones to stir the flow. The other group piles up stones to build walls on the other side. When the rock wall rises above the surface of the stream, a tarp is spread out to form a stone wall to block the fierce current. The current is blocked and flows to the other side. As a result, the other half of the stream gradually recedes and reveals puddles of water.
Then, the locals use rocks as pestles to crush pieces of red-colored tree bark that exude resin like blood. They pour the bark powder into the water puddle, and the resin quickly spreads throughout the flowing current of the river. This type of resin is easy to find and make, not highly toxic, and does not affect the health of the people who eat the fish. When the water returns to normal, the fish will wake up. Just a moment later, the bitter fish will be “drugged” and float out of the rocks, bobbing on the water surface. In this way, the locals can easily catch the bitter fish.
In addition to using bitter fish as food, this fish species is also considered as a “windfall”, a ginseng, and seen as a great tonic. The reason is that the bitter fish in Hoang Lien Son feeds on hoang lien trees (a precious herb) of this mountain range, so its flesh has a bitter and extremely good taste for health.
In Eastern medicine, the bitter fish has a balanced nature, non-toxic, and has the effects of nourishing qi and blood, strengthening yang, clearing heat, relieving thirst, treating internal heat…
