The Edible Tradition of Wood Soft-shelled Turtle Fruit
People who grow up in Vietnam and some parts of South Asia regard the fruit of Trionyx sinensis as "the fruit of heaven" and praise it for its longevity, vitality and health. Turtle fruit is a big and bright red fruit, also known as "sweet gourd", and its edible part is the red seed outer membrane. Its seed is called Momordica cochinchinensis in Chinese medicine, which has the property of dispelling cold, and is used to treat liver and spleen diseases, healing, hemorrhoids, traumatic injury, edema and suppuration. Vietnamese people have been eating wooden turtle fruit for thousands of years. The usual practice is to make glutinous rice with the outer membrane of the fruit seeds of the wooden turtle, which is called "Xoi gac". It is a mixture of wooden turtle fruit and rice, which makes it have red and unique flavor. Therefore, "Xoi gac" is provided at festivals, such as weddings, Lunar New Year and other major celebrations. It covers the white color of rice (because white is considered as the color of death) and brings people nutritious food. In addition to making "Xoi gac", the outer membrane of its seeds is used as the best nutrition for children, lactating women and pregnant women, while young women regard it as a treasure to keep their skin rosy and shiny, and local doctors also use it to treat "dry eye" (dry eye) and night blindness. The fruit growth of Trionyx sinensis is seasonal, with only three months of suitable growth period every year. Harvest began in September and lasted until 65438+February. In Vietnam, wooden tortoise vines often grow on the iron fence at the farm gate. Due to the long-term war and closure in Vietnam, it was not until modern scientific research and western media propaganda in recent years that people gradually realized the potential health value of soft-shelled turtle fruit.