Sweet Sour Pond Apple, Tamarind Ice, Wood Apple

Discover three irresistible refreshments from pond apple and beyond!

Golden sunlight dances on green canals winding through fruit-filled gardens and vast rice fields. Along the village path, a towering tree with hanging wood apples draws attention. By the canal’s lush bank, clusters of brown tamarind pods emerge beside the soft gleam of golden pond apples. On a hot day like this, nothing beats the refreshing taste of chilled wood apple or pond apple with sugar, or tamarind ice.

Wood Apple Drink

Visit Vietnam’s southwestern provinces in summer, especially Đồng Tháp and Trà Vinh, and you’ll spot majestic trees with sturdy, white-mottled trunks and soft green leaves. Their branches hold round fruits with rough, pale skins, resembling dried coconuts. Wood apple shells are famously tough—ordinary knives merely glance off them. Locals, ever resourceful, use a “fight fire with fire” trick: they strike two fruits together. With a sharp bam, the shells split open, revealing dark brown pulp within.

When someone’s about to crack open a wood apple, it’s wise to keep your distance – not because of flying shells, but because of its distinctive aroma. The scent is a bold mix of tangy and pungent, which might take some getting used to for newcomers. Once fully ripe, however, the wood apple’s fragrance softens, offering a delightful mix of tanginess with the rich, fermented notes of aged wine.

Wood apple has a unique charm: it seems to ‘play nice.’ With its tough shell that could be dangerous if it fell during the day, the wood apple thoughtfully drops from the tree at night. Even more remarkable is its resilience – after falling from heights of seven to eight meters, the fruit rolls away like a ball, rarely breaking open. By morning, homeowners simply collect the fallen wood apples into baskets, ready to be sold or turned into delicious dishes and refreshing drinks.

Young wood apples have crisp, white flesh with a tart and astringent bite. Enjoy them with chili salt for a zesty snack or pair them with fermented fish for a bold, flavorful experience. Ripe wood apples, on the other hand, are fibrous with small seeds and a pleasantly tangy flavor. Scoop out the pulp into a glass, mix in sugar and crushed ice, give it a good stir, and you’ve got the perfect summer refreshment. Sweet, tangy, ice-cold, and with the satisfying crunch of the seeds – it’s pure bliss! And let’s not forget the wood apple smoothies in frozen bags sold outside schools, always a favorite among students on sweltering days.

Tamarind Ice

Tamarind ice, or nước đá me in Vietnamese, is far more than just ice and tamarind. Ripe tamarind is simmered with sugar, pineapple, and ginger until it transforms into a thick, glossy paste. To prepare, fill a large glass with crushed ice, add a generous spoonful of the tamarind paste, sprinkle with roasted peanuts, and stir it all together to enjoy.

One bite is all it takes to get hooked. The tangy tamarind, sweet pineapple, spicy ginger, creamy-crunchy peanuts, and ice so cold it sends a chill through your teeth – yet you can’t stop. This simple yet irresistible treat from Vietnam’s southwestern countryside likely came to life when ice became widely accessible in the region, and it continues to delight generations to this day.

Once a hidden gem cherished by locals, tamarind ice found its moment in the spotlight thanks to a viral TikTok video celebrating ‘the best tamarind ice in Saigon.’ At the heart of this newfound fame is an endearing couple in their seventies, Mr. Chiến and Mrs. Nga, who have been crafting tamarind ice and refreshing drinks for over two decades. Their modest stall, located at 96 Cao Thắng Street, District 3, captures the essence of Saigon’s iconic street vendor culture. With their warm smiles and genuine hospitality, every visit feels like a nostalgic journey to the heart of the city.

The couple’s warmth is evident in everything they do. They treat their customers with the same care as their own children, and in return, young patrons affectionately address them as they would their parents. Every glass of tamarind ice is filled to the brim, and if anyone asks for more, whether it’s tamarind paste, sweet pineapple, or crushed peanuts, Mrs. Nga happily adds it with a smile. 

To create the perfect tamarind ice, the couple meticulously prepare each ingredient: slowly simmering tamarind, caramelizing pineapple, and roasting peanuts with precision. Their dedication, combined with their generous and openhearted spirit, imparts a special flavor to every glass, keeping customers coming back for more.

Pond Apple Drink

Although related to the custard apple, the pond apple, known as bình bát in Vietnamese, leads a simpler, uncultivated life. It grows wild along canals, ponds, and lakes. The pond apple tree has a sturdy wooden trunk, which distinguishes it from the bình bát vine, whose leaves are often used in soups. Vine leaves are soft and heart-shaped, while the tree’s leaves are thick, tough, and elongated. The clearest distinction, however, lies in their fruit: the vine bears red fruit, while the tree’s fruit begins pale green and ripens to a vibrant yellow.

Searching for ripe pond apples is akin to Prince Trọng Thủy tracing Princess Mỵ Châu’s trail of goose feathers in the ancient Vietnamese tale – except this time, we follow the scent. When fully ripe, pond apples release a captivating fragrance that carries far and wide, making them surprisingly easy to find. But beware: weaver ants love them just as much as we do! When picking the fruit, proceed with caution, or you might end up with a few sharp nips from these vigilant little protectors.

Unlike the tough shell of the wood apple, the pond apple has a soft and delicate skin. A simple swipe of a knife is enough to remove the peel, unveiling golden flesh as vibrant as ripe jackfruit. Inside, the central core gives way to a cluster of small, neatly arranged segments. Each segment holds thick, juicy flesh encasing glossy black seeds.

Sprinkle white sugar over the segments, and watch as they waltz together, a delicate dance to the rhythm of a sweet rhapsody. Then comes the crushed ice, leaping in to elevate their love affair to new heights. Pond apple delights with a symphony of sensations – aromatic, sweet, chewy, and refreshingly cool. Just one thing: remember to spit out the seeds instead of crunching them, unlike with wood apples.

I have a habit of collecting folk songs and proverbs connected to the dishes I write about, but this time it seems my luck has run out. No matter how hard I look, I can’t find a single fitting verse. So why not create a “modern-day folk song”? Who knows, maybe in a hundred years it’ll become the real deal: 

Pond apple, wood apple drink, tamarind ice,  

Cool, tasty, and cheap – your lifelong delight.

The South of Vietnam has these simple, rustic drinks that seem unassuming but taste unbelievably good. Don’t forget to give them a try!

mlefood – Minh Lê