Dreamy Hue with memorable flavors

Hue is not only famous for its captivating natural scenery, but also for its rich and unique cuisine that captivates anyone. Each Hue dish has its own identity, its own flavor and a unique presentation that cannot be found anywhere else. Writer Nguyen Tuan once commented that Hue people eat with their eyes and nose before enjoying the actual food.

Banh bot loc (tapioca dumplings)

Hue's tapioca dumplings are best when they are freshly steamed, still steaming hot. Dip the dumplings in the spicy fish sauce and chili sauce and you will enjoy the softness and chewiness of tapioca dumplings, combined with the richness of fatty meat and the sweetness of river shrimp filling your mouth.

Banh beo

Banh beo is made in small, pretty cups and steamed until cooked. Once cooked, it's topped with dried shrimp, crispy fried pork skin, a little oil, and chopped scallions. Hue people are even more meticulous, using thinly sharpened bamboo sticks as chopsticks to cut the banh beo. That's why Hue folk have the phrase "bamboo knife, stone cup" to describe the authentic Hue way of eating banh beo.

Banh ram it t

Banh ram it is a combination of two different types of cakes, both crispy and chewy, both fragrant and sweet: the soft and chewy banh it on top and the fragrant and crispy banh ram on the bottom. The filling of banh it is made from shrimp sautéed with scallion oil and steamed.

The fried rice cakes (bánh ram) don't need filling; they are simply fried in oil until crispy and golden brown. The combination of the crispy fried rice cakes with the fragrant, chewy texture of the glutinous rice cakes (bánh ít) and the sweet and salty flavor of the fish sauce satisfies any diner visiting Hue. Hue folklore has a poem about the deliciousness of bánh ram ít:

"Listen, baby , just put it in your mouth and listen."

The less chewy the golden ram, the more intoxicating its flavor.

New to Hue specialties

"The colors and scents of the royal court seek each other"

Hue tea

Hue sweet soup is very rich. In any region of Vietnam, people process beans to make sweet soup. Black beans, green beans, all beans can be used to make sweet soup. But Hue also has red bean sweet soup, broad bean sweet soup, and royal bean sweet soup. The pure white broad beans are soaked in clear sweet soup. Red beans and royal beans at first glance seem to be whole beans, but add a little coconut milk and a spoonful of shaved ice and you have a delicious dish that is plump and crumbly; or green beans are processed and beaten until they are golden yellow.

Hue has more than just bean sweet soup. In the morning, there is lotus seed sweet soup. Hue lotus seeds are not big, but each lotus seed is rich and fragrant with the scent of heaven and earth. Hue people only sell boiled lotus, not longan-wrapped lotus sweet soup. Hue families only cook it for the offering and then eat it. Or in big hotels, buffets sometimes have longan-wrapped lotus seed sweet soup, but in such luxurious places, the dish loses the flavor of the ancient capital.

Hue also has several types of sweet potato desserts. Purple taro dessert like the long dress of Dong Khanh female students is the most typical, the most Hue. Then sweet potato dessert, purple potato dessert, corn dessert… Dice fruit, mix a few types, soak in sugar water, when enjoying add shaved ice, also called dessert. Fruit dessert: dragon fruit, watermelon, pineapple, jackfruit… each season has its own fruits, the fruits of heaven and earth are all present in a glass of Hue fruit dessert. The sweetness of sugar and the coolness of fresh fruit go together and complete the taste.

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