Definition

1. Noun:
   • Jam, preserves, candied fruit: A sweet food product made by cooking fruit, flowers, seeds, or certain roots with a large amount of sugar until it reaches a thick, spreadable consistency or a candied, solid state. It is a traditional Vietnamese confectionery, especially popular during the Lunar New Year (Tết).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Bà tôi thường tự tay làm mứt dừa để ăn Tết. (My grandmother often makes coconut jam by hand for Tet.)
  • Trên bàn tiếp khách ngày Tết luôn có đĩa mứt hỗn hợp. (There is always a plate of assorted candied fruits on the guest table during Tet.)
  • Mứt sen là một món ăn truyền thống và bổ dưỡng. (Candied lotus seeds are a traditional and nutritious delicacy.)

Advanced Usage

• "làm mứt": to make jam/preserves/candied fruit.

  • Mẹ tôi đang học cách làm mứt từ bà ngoại. (My mother is learning how to make candied fruit from my grandmother.)

• "mứt để dành": preserved/jam saved for later.

  • Hũ mứt để dành này có thể dùng được cả năm. (This jar of preserved jam can be used for the whole year.)

Variants and Related Words

• Mức (n, less common variant): An alternate spelling sometimes used, particularly in certain regional dialects or older texts, with the same meaning as "mứt".

  • Mức lạc (Sugar-coated peanuts).

• Kẹo (n): Candy. While "mứt" is a type of sweet, it is specifically fruit/plant-based and cooked with sugar, distinct from hard candies or chocolates.

• Mứt Tết (n): Tet jam/candied fruit; refers specifically to the assortment of preserves traditionally served during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

Synonyms

• Jam: A thick spread made from fruit and sugar, usually with a softer consistency than some types of "mứt".
• Preserves: Fruit preserved by cooking with sugar.
• Candied fruit/Crystallized fruit: Fruit that has been impregnated with sugar syrup and dried, closely resembling many types of "mứt".
• Conserve: A type of jam, often with whole or large pieces of fruit.

Related Phrases

• Hũ đựng mứt: jam jar/preserves jar.

  • Cô ấy mua những hũ đựng mứt rất đẹp. (She bought very beautiful jam jars.)

• Khay mứt: jam tray/candy tray (specifically for serving).

  • Khay mứt được bày biện rất đẹp mắt. (The candied fruit tray is arranged very attractively.)

Related Idioms

• Ngọt như mứt: As sweet as candied fruit; used to describe something very sweet (can be literal or figurative, e.g., sweet words).
  • Lời nói của anh ấy ngọt như mứt. (His words are as sweet as candied fruit.)

1. Jam, sugar-coated fruit, sugar - preserved fruit
   • Mứt sen
     Sugar-preserved lotos seeds
   • Mức lạc
     Sugar - coated ground-nuts
   • Mứt gừng
     Gingerjam
   • Mứt cam
     Marmalade