This is a specialty of the highlands of Ha Giang, bought by women every Tet holiday.

Black cat squash is grown and cared for by the Meo ethnic people in Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang.

This fruit is adapted to cold climates, can live in barren land, poor in nutrients.

In the past, they grew wild in farmlands or climbed fences

 In recent years, pumpkin seeds have been popular and sold at a high price, so people have switched to growing pumpkin seeds to sell to the market.

Pumpkin looks quite similar to watermelon. The flesh of the squash is quite flexible and sweet in the form of fibers that can be used to cook soup, boil, make jam…

After planting about 3-4 months can be harvested.

In favorable climatic conditions, black cat squash yields about 20-50 fruits/tree, each fruit weighs an average of 4-6kg.

Young pumpkin seeds are white and old pumpkin seeds are black, mushy, richer and more fragrant than regular white squash.

There are two types of black pumpkin seeds on the market, raw and roasted. Roasted pumpkin seeds cost 200,000 VND ($9)/kg

On every Tet holiday, this type of grain is always expensive, the price can be up to $12/kg

Photo: Internet (Vietnamese.Quest.net)