Culinary culture contributes to tourism development.

An Giang is famous for its glorious cultural and historical relics, beautiful natural landscapes, rivers, and pristine, majestic mountains. Besides that, An Giang is also a melting pot of cuisine from various regions and ethnic minority groups such as the Khmer, Cham, and Hoa. Each dish reflects a unique blend and combination, such as: Com Ni, Ca Pua, Tung Lo Mo, goat curry, traditional sweet cakes... of the Cham ethnic minority, or dishes like grilled chicken, beef porridge with chayote, papaya salad, katum cake... of the Khmer ethnic minority.

Each ethnic group has its own unique way of preparing different dishes, reflecting the distinctive and characteristic culture of each community. Besides the dishes mentioned above, An Giang also boasts many other delicious foods, such as: steamed chicken with pandan leaves, scorpion, beetle, mountain crab, mountain snail, beef porridge with pandan leaves, bitter melon salad, mango pickle, Siamese sticky rice, dried snake meat, Bay Nui beef, Long Xuyen broken rice; Chau Doc crab noodle soup, Chau Doc fish noodle soup; Thoai Son ken noodle soup, Thoai Son shrimp noodle soup; Phu My puffed rice cakes… This creates a diverse and rich culinary landscape in An Giang.

Therefore, exploring An Giang's culinary culture becomes especially appealing and has a strong attraction for tourists. Mr. Ngo Hoang Huan (Da Nang City) shared: "Anyone traveling is interested in learning about factors such as: what to eat, what to see, and what to do. When coming to An Giang, in addition to learning about the culture, experiencing the community life of ethnic minorities, and exploring the beautiful nature, my family and I really enjoy learning about and enjoying delicious dishes and attractive specialties at the tourist destinations. I am particularly impressed with rustic dishes, rich in the flavors of the mountains and forests, such as: wild vegetable pancakes, grilled chicken, various dried foods, fish sauce... and the extremely famous fish sauce hotpot."

Beyond simply serving the basic dining needs of tourists, cuisine is increasingly becoming a crucial factor that strongly influences destination choices and stimulates spending. Culinary culture contributes to building a positive image of the people and the locality.

“An Giang has many delicious dishes, especially dried seafood and fermented fish sauces. Although I haven't had the chance to visit An Giang to try them, my friends know about these dishes through videos and pictures on social media. We're planning a trip to An Giang together, to both experience tourism and enjoy the unique and delicious local specialties,” shared Ms. Lam Ngoc Tu (Ho Chi Minh City).

Furthermore, An Giang boasts unique specialties in every season, and visitors must experience and explore them to fully appreciate their beauty. Many culinary products have also become meaningful souvenirs and gifts. Under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program, An Giang has developed and established traditional and distinctive local food brands in the form of OCOP products, yielding high effectiveness and popularity among tourists, such as: palm sugar, salted carambola, Cham beef sausage, various dried seafood products, fish sauce, and specialty cakes…

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung (Dong Nai province) said: “Before choosing An Giang as my destination, I went online to research local specialties. Every time I updated the list, the number of places to eat in An Giang always increased.” Ms. Le Thi Yen Linh (Ho Chi Minh City) expressed: “I have been to An Giang many times, and each time it gives me new experiences. The dishes all have very unique flavors. In particular, I really enjoy fish sauce hotpot; the broth is made from rich, flavorful fish sauce combined with fresh fish and vegetables from the river region. Every year, when we travel to An Giang, my whole family has to eat fish sauce hotpot before we leave.”

With its richness, diversity, harmony, and sophistication, cuisine is an attractive tourism product for visitors. The beauty and uniqueness of its cuisine contribute to An Giang's appeal, encouraging tourists to return and recommend it to friends both domestically and internationally.

TRONG TIN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/van-hoa-am-thuc-gop-phan-phat-trien-du-lich-a419552.html