Hue cuisine is sophisticated and diverse, receiving many compliments from tourists.

Recommend delicious dishes from my hometown

In early November 2023, the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association officially launched the 2023 phase of the Project "Building and developing Vietnamese culinary culture into a national brand" with the program "Delicious dishes of my hometown" right in Hue City. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association shared: "Thua Thien Hue deserves the brand name "Capital of Cuisine" as it is the locality with the most dishes honored in the "Journey to find typical Vietnamese culinary cultural values" in the recent period. With diversity and sophistication, the culinary dishes imbued with the identity of the ancient capital have captivated visitors from near and far".

In a total of 421 nominated dishes from the Departments of Culture and Sports , Departments of Tourism, Tourism Promotion Centers and Culinary Culture Associations from 60/63 provinces and cities across the country, 121 typical dishes, imbued with the values ​​of each province and city, were selected and Hue was the locality at the top of the list of typical culinary dishes (Hue beef noodle soup, tapioca dumplings wrapped in roasted pork, mussel rice, loc cake, vegetarian mixed fruit and vegetarian steamed rice in lotus leaves). However, considering the approximately 1,700 dishes of Hue, this list will need to include many dishes from many localities of the Ancient Capital.

At the recent ceremony to announce and award certificates for typical culinary dishes of Thua Thien Hue province, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Phan Ngoc Tho affirmed that, with its long history, Thua Thien Hue is a land imbued with the traditional cultural identity of Vietnam. Hue is not only famous for its diverse and rich cultural heritage system and beautiful landscapes, but also famous for its unique cuisine. Spreading Hue culinary culture will contribute to spreading Hue culture and building "Hue - the culinary capital". Launching the movement "Delicious dishes of my hometown" to spread and promote the value of delicious dishes of localities will be an opportunity for Hue's typical culinary dishes to spread their value.

Currently, the Department of Tourism has deployed to localities, tourism service businesses, and related individuals to register to nominate typical local culinary dishes here. Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism, said that the program "My hometown's delicious dishes" will be nominated by the community of experts, chefs, restaurant and culinary businesses, and agencies in the field of cuisine and tourism in Thua Thien Hue province. The program results will be decided through evaluation and voting by experts and the provincial community.

Enhancing the value of Hue culinary culture

Vietnam has an extremely rich and attractive cuisine and when mentioning Vietnamese cuisine, many people immediately think of Hue cuisine. However, eating a dish is not simply enjoying the taste of that dish, but also enjoying the spiritual value hidden in each ingredient, spice, and recipe. These are values ​​that, if we know how to promote, can elevate Hue cuisine and develop tourism.

Building programs to promote and spread culinary culture and culinary discovery tours is a possible way to do so. Each dish is a story, even a legend, in which the essence of a long-standing and rich traditional culture is crystallized. To make "delicious dishes memorable", tourism professionals need to create more experiences for tourists, at which point the dish will have become a sophisticated culinary art.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, to enhance the culinary culture of Vietnam in general, Thua Thien Hue in particular, in addition to the program "Delicious dishes of my hometown", the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association will coordinate with localities to continue to implement many contents and categories, including supporting localities to form a set of events and activities to promote the development of the culinary culture ecosystem. Communication and promotion on a national and international scale to honor cultural, nutritional, and economic values ​​so that cuisine can aim to develop local culinary tourism. At the same time, the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association will support the digital transformation of local culinary cultural activities on the same map platform, the Vietnam Culinary Culture Museum (virtual). In addition, competitions such as young artisans/chefs, promoting "Delicious dishes of my hometown" designed to be associated with local events will also be held.

According to culinary culture experts, with two lines: royal cuisine and Hue folk cuisine, Hue cuisine has built its own brand. However, to elevate and spread the value of culinary culture far and wide, it is necessary to organize culinary convergence activities throughout the locality, expressed by the talent and identity of artisans from different regions. At the same time, combine trade exhibitions through many booths displaying local products and food industry enterprises. That could start with a culinary culture festival with 121 typical Vietnamese dishes that have just been honored, then move on to converging typical cuisines around the world. The exchange of culinary culture is also an opportunity to introduce, elevate and spread Vietnamese cuisine in general, and Hue cuisine in particular.

Article and photos: HUU PHUC