Mac mat (Mắc Mật)

In Vietnam, the fruit of the Clausena Indica mắc mật (mac mat), literally 'ant fruit'. The is a alone a wild plant of which both the (fresh) leaves and the (dried) fruits are used as a flavoring.

New! Macmat. Still in limited quantities though :-)

The Clausena Indica, or wild wampi, is, like the Szechuan plants, a member of the Rutaceae family and related to Citrus. In Vietnam, this tree grows in the limestone mountains in the northwest. Cao Bằng and Lạng Sơn. The fruits and leaves have traditionally been used as medicine and spice by the ethnic minority groups living there, the Tày and Nùng. The pickers are mainly Tày, like the pickers of our mac mat from Lạng Sơn.

The inflorescence of the mac mat is panicle-shaped. The flowers are greenish-white, about 6-8 mm long. The fruits are almost spherical berries, pink or cream-colored, 1-2 cm long. They contain a lot of flesh and a single seed. Naturally, they are at their tastiest when fresh. However, they are only available for a short time and only at the local markets in and around Cao Bằng. Moreover, the tree bears fruit only once a year, and the picking season is limited to the months of June and July, when they are only available. Many leaves and fruits are therefore dried in the open air.

Taste and smell

Muc mit has a distinctive aroma, the taste is light

Taste and smell

Muc mut has a distinctive aroma; the taste is slightly spicy, slightly sweet, with a tartness comparable to sumac. Mắc mật khô, the dried fruit also has bitter notes.

Usage

When you place them in water briefly—about five minutes—you can easily crush the fruit—with or without the seed—to then grind it into a fine paste with a mortar, just like you do with tamarind. The flesh has a more refined taste than the seed, but makes up only a small part of the fruit.

You can also grind the whole fruits without soaking them first. Dry ground mac mat is called bột mắc mật.

In Vietnamese cuisine, the berries are added whole to pickled bamboo shoots, to marinades for pork, duck, and chicken—whether roasted or stewed—and incorporated into sausage. They are sometimes used in place of allspice or nutmeg. Also, try the berries in a Vietnamese beef soup (Pho vang)—leave them whole and let them simmer nicely in the broth.

Neem Chẩm chéo, a paste used as a dipping sauce for meat and bamboo shoots. The paste is made from equal parts mắc mật, mắc khén, dried Chile, garlic and ginger, sometimes also cardamom. The dry ingredients are roasted, after which the remaining ingredients are added, and finally some – not too much – water.

Features:

• 100% pepperberries of the Clausena Indica
• foraging!
• origin: Lang Son, Vietnam
• available in our store since February 2, 2026

Assortment

• available in glass and stand-up pouch (no test tubes)
• Larger quantities on request

Gift packaging

• The jar is available in tasteful gift packaging, consisting of a cube box filled with black tissue paper.
• For an overview of our gift packaging, please refer to the section. gift packaging

General advice

• Store Mac Mat in a dark, dry, and cool place.
• best before January 2028 (01-2028)
• The expiration date is an indication.

Batch number MF600422

The batch number helps us trace which supply an item originated from. It is listed on the packing slip and the invoice.