Hue cuisine always meets the requirements of elaborate preparation, beautiful presentation and harmonious flavors.
From the ancient Imperial City to the architectures imbued with Vietnamese cultural symbols, Hue always brings visitors nostalgic feelings. The blend of natural beauty, cultural history and the warmth of Hue people is encapsulated in the culinary flavors here. Hue dishes are diverse, from elaborate royal style to rustic, simple style.
The ancient capital of Hue with its charming scenery and rich culture. Photo: Maggi
With more than 1,300 dishes, the ancient capital of Hue is considered the richest culinary treasure in Vietnam. The dishes here are not only daily needs, but also elevated to an art form by the people.
They are meticulous in the way they present their dishes, because besides being delicious, the dish also needs to be beautiful, fragrant and the person enjoying it will use all their senses to enjoy it. For example, a plate of peacock spring rolls - the top dish of the eight treasures (eight dishes offered to the king) is a symbol of elegance. To make this dish perfect, the artisan must meticulously make the phoenix head from radishes and carrots, then create the peacock's body from spring rolls.
Even a plate of raw vegetables of Hue people must have harmonious colors, with tomatoes as red as the sun, star-shaped yellow star fruit, and crescent-shaped fig slices. The meticulousness of the people
Hue culture is also reflected in the eating utensils. For them, each dish must have a proper way of eating: eating mussel rice must be done in a clay bowl, lotus seed sweet soup or mung bean sweet soup must be done in a porcelain bowl...
Nem cong is the top dish of the eight treasures of the Hue royal court. Photo: Bui Thuy
In addition to royal dishes, rustic dishes also create the unique and sophisticated features of Hue cuisine. Bun bo Hue is one of the favorite breakfast dishes of most locals and tourists coming here. This dish is also rated by chef Anthony Bourdain as one of the best dishes in the world. A bowl of bun bo requires the skill and care of the cook. Hue people season bun bo according to the season. In the summer, they only add a little salt, in the winter it will be saltier to balance the weather and the flavor of the dish, bringing the most perfect culinary experience to diners.
You can also choose mussel rice for lunch - a dish that is more than 200 years old and was included in the list of royal dishes by the Nguyen Dynasty. Although made from simple ingredients, the preparation of mussel rice is elaborate. The chef must catch mussels at Hen Islet on the Perfume River, meticulously prepare fragrant shrimp paste, raw vegetables, mint taro, thinly sliced banana blossom, pennywort, star fruit, chopped herbs and cold rice. Because Hue people like spicy food, a bowl of Hue rice must be spicy enough to make you cry. This is also a unique point in the culinary style of the people here.
When the shops are closed, visitors to Hue can enjoy rice in hell. This name comes from the fact that the restaurant usually opens at midnight, serving popular dishes for Hue people.
Hell rice is a harmonious combination of delicious dishes: braised pork, pork roll, fermented pork roll, shrimp, omelette, herbs, pickles... with white rice and spicy garlic chili fish sauce.
One of the reasons why this dish is special is the skillful hands of the cook. The marinated meat grilled on charcoal must be fragrant on the outside but juicy on the inside, the fresh shrimp is seasoned well, the duck eggs are thinly coated, the rice is served in the bowl without being pressed. In particular, the flavors of the dishes are seasoned just right, combined with colorful and flavorful vegetables and meat arranged around. Diners can prepare this dish at home and should season it with soy sauce, seasoning powder, and Maggi oyster sauce.
Bun bo Hue - a famous specialty reaching out to the world. Photo: Maggi
Hue people often have dessert after meals with sweet soup. Among them, the most attractive and unique sweet soup is tapioca starch sweet soup with roasted pork. In the past, this was one of the royal dishes with a secret recipe of the Cong Tang Ton Nu family. Nowadays, anyone can enjoy this unique sweet soup with a harmonious flavor between salty and sweet, between the chewy texture of the tapioca starch crust and the fatty taste of roasted pork filling. Each sweet soup shop in Hue always has about 20 different types such as tapioca starch wrapped in coconut, wrapped in peanuts, xanh danh, xanh hoi, dau van dac, ban nuoc, bong cau, red beans, black beans, white beans, banana sweet soup, grapefruit sweet soup, royal beans, fruits, purple potato sweet soup...
Cakes also contribute to the richness of the cuisine of the ancient capital. Banh nam - an old specialty made from thinly spread rice flour, wrapped in dong leaves, eaten with shrimp rolls and spicy fish sauce
Sweets are a popular gift in this land. Or crispy Hue pancakes with a unique flavor, loved by many locals and tourists from afar.
The list of Hue cakes to try cannot lack the famous banh beo. This dish is present during holidays, Tet and even in daily meals, contributing to the uniqueness of the culinary culture of the ancient capital. The cake is molded in small bowls, eaten with fried shrimp, pork rinds, scallion oil, fried onions and sweet and spicy fish sauce.
Finally, Hue's tapioca dumplings conquer many diners at first sight. The cake is transparent, chewy, and dotted with the brick red color of shrimp and thinly sliced pork belly. When enjoying, visitors must dip the cake in the characteristic sweet and spicy fish sauce to satisfy the taste buds and bring out the delicious flavor.
Street cakes are a typical Hue gift for tourists when they visit here. Photo: Maggi
Over the centuries, Hue cuisine has been continuously accumulated, maintained and promoted, becoming a part of the heritage of the ancient capital, alongside majestic architectural works and lyrical natural landscapes.
Thanh Thu
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