Hue is not only the historical capital of Vietnam. It’s also a gastronomic center of the country and you will be able to discover many local specialties.
For this, simply get out of the touristic restaurants of the city-center and venture in the streets of the city, seat on the small red plastic stool or blue chairs of the street food restaurant and discover the local gastronomy.
- Popular for breakfast
- Bún Bò Huế – literally “Hue’s noodle beef”
As its name states it, this dish coming from Hue, based on noodle and beef or sometimes pork and also complemented with crab, is a hot soup which gives all the needed energy to start the day properly. In order for the broth to get taste, it needs to be cook slowly during 2 to 3 hours and to add some lemon grass.
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- Bún / Cơm Hến
Being located near the sea and the lagoons, Hue has a lot of seafood. Thus, there are many small mussel farms that are used to make a very typical breakfast of the region and well-known it the whole country – Bún Hến (mussel noodles) and Cơm Hến (mussel rice). This very tasty cold dish is mainly eaten near Nhu Y River and in small restaurants opening in the streets during the day. It has many vegetables, and in particular taro stems – Môn ngọt – which only grow in Hue area.
- Popular as a snack
Hue is full of Bánh – salty cakes which are part of the local gastronomy. They are made from rice or cassava flour and often with pork and shrimps, and sometimes vegetarian. They are steamed.
You will be able to taste them in some restaurants of the city. You will also be able to meet many street sellers walking in the city and offering a large selection of them to eat with Nước mắm sauce.
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- Bánh Lọc
Wrapped in its banana leaf, this cake made of cassava as a quite chewy texture. The flour is around a mix of pork and shrimps, often in the shell, giving a crunchy texture.
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- Bánh Nậm
This flat cake is also wrapped and cooked in a banana leaf. Prepared with a small layer of rice flour with in its center a mix of shrimps and spices, it’s very light and very tasty.
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- Bánh Ram Ít
This is my favorite cake. It’s made in two steps, both mad of glutinous rice flour. The crunchy bottom part also has some coconut milk and is fried in the oil in a pan. The top part is a soft cake with a shrimp inside then steamed. The association of the two creates a great blend of texture brought by the Nước mắm served with it.
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- Bánh Bèo
This cake is made from rice flour and is directly cooked in the small cups in which you will eat them. It’s very simple as it’s just a thin pancake with mash shrimp on the top. Sometimes, it also served with grilled pork skin which bring a crunchy touch to it.
- Popular for lunch and dinner
The three following dishes, which are local specialties of the city, are generally served in the same restaurant. You will eat them with peanut sauce, a product grown in Hue’s area.
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- Bánh Khoái
As for the Bánh described previously, it’s also made from rice flour. It’s a yellow pancake, as it contains some turmeric powder, fried in a pan, and stuffed with a mixture of egg, pork and shrimp. It’s served with many green vegetable (lettuce, cucumber, banana flowers…) and peanut sauce. A real treat!!
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- Bún Thịt Nướng
Like the Bún Hến, it’s also a very tasty cold dish, based on rice noodles and grilled BBQ pork. Complemented with carrots and green papaya macerated in vinegar, and of green vegetable (lettuce, cucumber, banana flowers…). Cover it with peanut sauce before enjoying.
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- Nem Lụi
The Nem Lụi is a pork skewer on a lemon grass stalk. The pork is grounded then seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices before being grilled on the BBQ. To eat it, a rice paper is needed and various vegetable to make your own “spring roll”. Eat after dipping it in the peanut sauce.
- Chè – popular as dessert
Finally, end your day by trying the Chè, also called sweet soup You can find it in many places on the street and it is prepared from various ingredients. From beans and sweet potatoes to rice and cassava flour and fruits such as banana or coconut, I recommend trying the one mixed to have different flavors.
Enjoy our meal and don’t hesitate to contact us when you are in Hue so get the best addresses to try those local specialties.
