Hue ancient capital is famous for its diverse cuisine, creating the characteristics of the people here. Besides visiting the ancient relics, do not forget to enjoy the special Hue dish with Go Travel!

The History of Hue Cuisine

Hue royal cuisine was influenced by the cultural flows of many different communities during the period of reclamation and opening the realm. It is the inheritance of the Northern culinary style from the Ly Dynasty (1069), Le Dynasty (1306) and especially from 1558, Lord Nguyen and his entourage entered Thuan Hoa town. Or supplemented with Southern cooking methods from the reign of King Gia Long. Hue royal cuisine was also made of many kinds with its own features in ancient Champa cuisine.

The History of Hue Cuisine
The History of Hue Cuisine

With the brilliant development of the feudal dynasties and the residence of the emperors, dukes in this ancient capital region have created full and delicate standards in the method of preparing dishes. Hue dish was at first passed down through generations, after the envoys returned, they presented the king with strange and delicious dishes.

Hue Cuisine at that time
Hue Cuisine at that time

Any notable dish can be listed on the list and then passed on to the next generation, and so on, Hue royal dishes become more diverse and diverse. When the feudal dynasties declined, royal cuisine began to spread out and flourished on the basis of folk cuisine. People cook Hue dish very skillfully, with attractive colors that value “quality” over “quantity”.

Flavorful Hue dish that you must try once

Bánh Khoái (Banh Khoai)

Banh Khoai comes from the way Hue people call it when cooking. They often had the habit of making cakes from rice flour and using wood stoves to cook. Every time they see smoke rising after the wood stove is turned off during cooking, they decide to name this Hue dish is “Banh Khoi” which is “smoke cake” in English. However, because of their own pronunciation, they called it “Banh Khoai” instead. 

Bánh Khoái (Banh Khoai)
Bánh Khoái (Banh Khoai)

In Hue, Banh Khoai dipping sauce is cooked with more than 10 kinds of ingredients (such as pork liver, pureed lean pork, peanuts, broth, soy sauce, etc.). Banh Khoai is made from a mixture of rice flour and water, they also add a little turmeric and salt. The filling is made from a mixture of shrimp, egg yolk, small ball, bean sprouts, etc.

Bánh Bèo (Banh Beo)

The name “Banh Beo” can be derived from its shape: it resembles the leaf of the water fern. For a long time, Banh Beo has been associated with the daily life of the Hue people. From 3 to 5 pm, on the streets, neat women in ao dai swing a light burden on their shoulders, sell Banh Beo and filter cake from house to house. Hue people love it and have made this Hue dish a habit to use for side meals.

Bánh Bèo (Banh Beo)
Bánh Bèo (Banh Beo)

Banh beo is made from rice, steamed with steam. When the cake is cooked, they add condiments such as: pounded shrimp, a little vegetable fat sprinkled on the cake before eating. Banh beo dipping sauce is cooked from fresh shrimp, so it is both sweet and fatty.

Bánh Nậm (Banh Nam)

Banh Nam is a famous rustic dish in Hue. This Hue dish has a delicious taste, soft and smooth, with a slight taste of shrimp. It is a delicious afternoon “snack” from the elderly to children. The traditional way to eat Banh Nam is to peel off the crust and spread it on a plate. You should remove the package leaves intact, the smell of the leaves will help make this Hue dish more delicious. Scoop the diluted, slightly sweet chili fish sauce evenly over the cake, scooping up each piece with a spoon. 

Bánh Nậm (Banh Nam)
Bánh Nậm (Banh Nam)

When you put a piece of Banh Nam in your mouth, remember not to chew quickly so that you can enjoy the feeling of the rice flour melting, deeply absorbed, and greasy. In addition, there are vegetarian Banh Nam, filled with only green beans, usually made for the full moon day, the first day of the lunar calendar.

Bún thịt nướng (Vermicelli with grilled pork)

Vermicelli with grilled pork is not really a unique dish of Hue cuisine, but the taste of Hue grilled pork vermicelli is different from other places. Therefore, it is considered a specialty Hue dish of this ancient capital.

Bún thịt nướng (Vermicelli with grilled pork)
Bún thịt nướng (Vermicelli with grilled pork)

Hue people often choose to buy pork belly or lean meat. Thinly sliced pork is placed in a large bowl and seasoned with lemongrass, garlic, pepper, fish sauce, salt, monosodium glutamate, oil, sugar, and a little white sesame to make the meat more fragrant when grilled. 

The special feature of Hue grilled pork vermicelli is the sauce. It is made from liver, flour, crushed sesame, and ground peanuts and then reduced with ground pork, fish sauce, pepper, monosodium glutamate, etc.

Bánh Ram Ít (Banh Ram It)

In Hue, Banh Ram It is one of the rustic dishes very familiar to the local people. This Hue dish is divided into 2 parts: the less flexible cake on the top and the crispy fragrant cake on the bottom. These two flavors seem to be impossible to combine when through the skillful hands of the cook to create a unique attractive flavor. 

Bánh Ram Ít (Banh Ram It)
Bánh Ram Ít (Banh Ram It)

When putting out the plate, Hue people often put the pure white cake on top and then sprinkle a layer of burnt yellow shrimp powder, which looks very attractive. The unique feature of little ram cake is dipped with sweet and sour fish sauce specially prepared, not too salty or too sweet, adding the spicy taste of a few slices of chili. Dipping Banh ram it in sweet and sour dipping sauce is nothing short of attractive.

Bánh Ướt (Banh Uot)

To create a typical Hue grilled meat cake with its own flavor, the processing stage is quite sophisticated but not difficult. For Hue wet cake, the thinner the cake is coated, the more it proves the chef’s skill as well as makes the Hue wet cake taste the most complete.

Bánh Ướt (Banh Uot)
Bánh Ướt (Banh Uot)

Banh Uot is a soft, succulent sheet of fresh rice noodles served with freshly cooked grilled meat, added little raw vegetables, and dipped with sauce is super delicious. The dipping sauce is the soul of this Hue dish, so Hue people often choose the best fish sauce to eat with, usually anchovy fish sauce made by local people.

Bánh Bột Lọc (Banh Bot Loc)

One of the Hue specialties that make up the quintessence of cuisine in the ancient capital, is impossible not to mention Banh Bot Loc. It can be said that Hue is the cradle of this dish, the indigenous people have processed and seasoned it according to their own recipe to produce a typical shrimp and meat cake.

Bánh Bột Lọc (Banh Bot Loc)
Bánh Bột Lọc (Banh Bot Loc)

The main ingredients used to make this Hue dish are tapioca starch, shrimp, and pork. The tapioca flour will be made from the best rice, fresh shrimp will be washed, leaving the shell intact so that when steaming shrimp cakes will have a beautiful red color.

The filling of this Hue dish will include braised pork rim. The crispy and fragrant flavor of shrimp, mixed with pork, will make the cake more delicious. In particular, the cake dipping sauce will take advantage of the fried shrimp paste still in the pan.

Through this article, Go Travel ensures that you can find out which Hue dish you might choose to try once. So let’s pack your things and take the tour with Go Travel right now!

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