Hoàng Lan

TasteAtlas has listed Ninh Bình Province’s goat meat with lemon, locally known as dê tái chanh, as one of most tasty dishes in the world.

Ranked 28th among the list of 36, dê tái chanh is certainly something unique. The raw goat meat is cut into thin slices, par-boiled and mixed with lemon juice, so its original sweetness is retained. Other ingredients include lemongrass, chilli, garlic, ginger, lemon leaves, pepper and sesame, while the dish is topped with roasted peanuts. It is even more enjoyable when eaten with fig, green bananas soaked in vinegar, soy sauce and fresh herbs.

Dê tái chanh is certainly one of the most favourite dishes on the table when people go out drinking, said Phạm Văn Thức, who recently visited Ninh Bình Province on a tour with his friends.

Ninh Bình's goat meat with lemon, or dê tái chanh. Photo baodantoc.vn

To ensure the most savoury of dishes, the selection of the meat is very exacting. Cooks have to choose goats with small ears and those who have only been grazing in pasture or from the mountains. That way the livestock eats only leaves from trees, herbs and ripe fruits, so their meat is richer, sweeter and more fragrant compared with others.

The dish is often used as appetiser, served as a favourite dish for wine or beer drinkers.

“The dish is so attractive for its fragrant sweetness, it immediately conquers me for its special characteristics," he said.

"Soft and tender from the fleshy part of the goat meat, more firm pieces from the skin. No one word can truly capture its describe its taste and it is even more great when dipping it in Bần soy sauce. (Bần is a village in Hưng Yên Province which has specialised in making the traditional soy sauce for hundreds of years),” explained Thức.

A tray of dishes cooked from mountain goat meat includes dê tái chanh. Photo mia.vn

Apart from dê tái chanh, the Ninh Bình mountainous goat can be cooked into nearly 20 other dishes, such as grilled or steamed goat, goat hotpot, goat fried with chilli and lemongrass or goat simply pan-seared, along with many others.

Ninh Bình is famous for its overlapping limestone mountains, creating an ideal living environment for goats, said local Hoàng Văn Bảng, 70.

“The limestone mountains not only supply abundant natural food resources, such as grass and leaves, but it also means that the livestock are healthy and fit, by ranging over the cliffs. This helps Ninh Bình goat meat have its extra special taste and means it has high quality, is firm and is naturally rich,” said Bảng.

Apart from dê tái chanh, pan-seared goat or dê chao Ninh Bình, also attracts a lot of foodies. Photo mia.vn

Furthermore, Ninh Bình with a temperate climate, it is not too cold in winter and not too hot in summer creating perfect conditions for the goats to thrive, the herds have fewer diseases and have higher longevity compared with other goat species, he said.

Ninh Bình goats also play an important role in traditional festivals and events, including even in folk games, so they are embodied in the traditions of society, appealing to not only locals but also visitors and guests to the province.

“These festivals and events not only entertain locals, but also help to preserve and develop traditional cultural values, closely connecting communities,” Bảng said.

A herd of quality Ninh Bình mountain goats. Photo doisonggiadinh.baophunuthudo.vn

Raising mountain goats has brought an important income to many local households. “The Ninh Bình goat not only supplies increasing domestic demands, but is now also exported to world markets in Brunei and others, he said.

In 2021, Ninh Bình mountainous goat was recognised top 100 specialties of Việt Nam by VietKings. This organisation also listed the dish among 50 top most amazing dishes of Vietnamese in 2012. VNS