In addition to famous Hue specialties such as mussel rice, Hue beef noodle soup, and banh beo, you also have a list of delicious food in Hue that you must try when coming to the Ancient Capital.
1/ Mussel rice / Mussel vermicelli – the delicious food in Hue
An actual “Hue” bowl of Hue rice must be cooled overnight so that it can preserve the crunch of the vegetables and the aroma of the spices. True to the Hue people’s “eat spicy and talk hard” personality, this food in Hue specialty must be full of flavor, salty, and especially very spicy. When you come to Hue, if you don’t pay attention, your bowl of mussel rice will definitely burn your tongue.
Nowadays, you can quickly eat mussel rice and mussel vermicelli in every province and city, but if you have ever tried mussel rice in Hue, you will have to exclaim, “This is true mussel rice!”. Perhaps because of its spiciness and rich flavor, this Hue specialty mussel rice makes others remember it forever.
- Dap Da mussel rice – 1 Han Mac Tu, Vy Da.
- Ms. Nho’s restaurant is in the alley of the Pham Hong Thai – Truong Dinh intersection.
- The shop is at 2 Truong Dinh.
- Porridge – Vermicelli – Mussel Rice Restaurant – 98 Nguyen Hue.
2/ Hue beef noodle soup
Unlike people in the South, where a bowl of Hue beef noodle soup has a pleasant sweet taste from the bones, Hue people use the carcass to extract the flavor for their bowl of vermicelli. Therefore, the traditional bowl of Hue beef noodle soup has to be much saltier and richer in taste.
One difference between beef noodle soup in Hue and other regions is the vermicelli noodles. For this dish, Hue people mainly use tiny rice vermicelli, also known as fresh vermicelli, the type of vermicelli that you often eat when making spring rolls, or vermicelli vermicelli, vermicelli with bamboo shoots.
If you want to enjoy this Hue specialty, you have to be quick because Hue beef noodle soup is only sold in the morning. Every morning, just a bowl of beef noodle soup filled with beef, pork sausage, Hue rolls, and shrimp rolls will contain enough energy for a working day. One of the favorite customs of the people of the Ancient Capital was to enjoy a bowl of beef noodle soup slowly, sip a cup of tea, and share stories.
- Hue beef noodle soup – 14 Ly Thuong Kiet
- Mrs. Tuyet’s Vermicelli – 37 Nguyen Cong Tru
- Mrs. Tam’s Vermicelli – 43 Nguyen Cong Tru
- Mrs. My’s Vermicelli – 71 Nguyen Cong Tru
3/ Food in Hue – Sesame seeds
Sesame truffle, also known as sesame truffle candy, is one of the dishes that continually appears on the tea table of the Hue people. Ancient Hue people often drank tea while sipping a small piece of sesame; this was also one of the elegant pleasures. Actually, you can’t be in a hurry in Hue, and the same goes for eating sesame truffles. With this sticky Hue specialty, you can only feel the sweetness, flexibility, and freshness that it brings.
Due to increased demand from tourists, you can see many types of sesame seeds, such as soft sesame, crispy sesame, black sesame, and mirror sesame. Each type has its deliciousness and excitement, but you also need to be careful when buying sesame seeds as gifts.
When buying sesame seeds, you should check their color and elasticity. If the sesame seeds are clear yellow and when squeezed or broken, they feel soft but not broken. When you release them, they will return to their original shape, and they are good-quality sesame seeds.
You can enjoy delicious sesame seeds and buy them as gifts at:
- Thien Huong sesame – 20 Chi Lang.
- Nam Thuan sesame – 135 Huynh Thuc Khang.
- Dong Ba Market – Tran Hung Dao, Phu Hoa.
4/ Hue sweet soup
It is no exaggeration to call Hue the capital of all kinds of tea, and alley tea is one of Hue’s characteristics. Every few steps, you will come across a shop or street vendor in the alley. Therefore, sweet soup has become an indispensable Hue specialty on your list of food in Hue to try.
Delicious and unique sweet soups sold all year round include roast meat sweet soup, taro banana sweet soup, bean sweet soup, corn sweet soup, lotus seed sweet soup… On hot days, you can try a bowl of sweet soup. With ice, nothing can compare to the coolness. Each type of sweet soup has its unique flavor, so if you have time, you should definitely try it all.
- Alley Tea – 17 Hung Vuong.
- Che Sao – 60 Phan Chu Trinh.
5/ Food in Hue – Nem Lui
People often say that spring rolls are one of the great things about Hue cuisine. The dish is prepared rustically, but thanks to the rich, flavorful taste of Hue people, this Hue specialty dish has an aroma that can make diners flutter.
Nem lui Hue is often eaten with raw vegetables, pineapple, star fruit, bean sprouts, and chili, like Southern people’s meat rolls. What’s different about this dish is the special dipping sauce called “broth.” Make sure you eat it once, and you’ll be craving it until the day you come home when you try Hue spring rolls at the following addresses:
- Grilled Meat Vermicelli & Nem Lui Ba Ty – 81 Dao Duy Tu.
- Tai Phu–2 Dien Bien Phu, Vinh Ninh Ward.
6/ Food in Hue – Tre
At first glance, many tourists will easily be confused between Hue truffles and Hue spring rolls because these two Hue specialties are actually “relatives” of each other. However, the way they are made is different, so you need to ask carefully. Before you buy. The taste of bamboo is fragrant, sweet, and slightly sour. There are two types of Hue bamboo: pork and beef.
However, Hue’s dish does not have a specific way to make it, so the flavor and color also vary depending on the preferences of the maker. On the dining table of Hue families, there is an indispensable appetizer or sip of wine. Hue spring rolls and spring rolls must be bought on Dao Duy Tu Street to be authentic because Dao Duy Tu Street has specialized in producing and selling spring rolls from the past to the present in Hue.
- Nem Cha Tré Dong Ba Hue–25 Dao Duy Tu, Phu Binh.
==> Read more: 34 Famous attractions in Hue for Self-sufficient Associations
7/ Nam Pho noodle soup
Nam Pho noodle soup comes from the village of… Nam Pho. This is a popular street vendor in this village, a place about 10 km from the city center. You will see that the cake water is a bit cloudy and candy because Nam Pho soup cake is cooked from rice flour and tapioca flour in the ratio of 3 rice – 1 tapioca.
Banh Canh broth also contains pork belly and shrimp. When eating, remember to add a little chili to increase the spiciness to experience the delicious taste of Hue fully. Nam Pho noodle soup is a favorite Hue specialty of many tourists and local people. Every afternoon, along with the street tea vendors, there is the presence of Nam Pho noodle soup vendors.
- Thuy’s restaurant specializes in Nam Pho Canh cake – 16 Pham Hong Thai.
- Nam Pho noodle soup – 374 Chi Lang.
8/ Hue sour shrimp
Sour shrimp is a simple Hue specialty that you can hardly see in other provinces. Shrimp itself has an excellent, sweet taste, now mixed with spicy spices, which not only does not overpower the inherent excellent taste of shrimp but is also very harmonious and seductive when eaten with side dishes.
If you pay close attention, you will see that this is a Hue specialty that represents the sophisticated and diligent personality of the people here. When processing, they specifically do not use large sea shrimp but only choose freshwater shrimp, river shrimp, and small land shrimp. The reason is that small shrimp absorb the spices more easily, and when presented on plates, bowls, or arranged in jars, they also look more beautiful.
Hue sour shrimp is often eaten as spring rolls with boiled meat, rice paper, and raw vegetables. Additionally, if you only have a little time to roll rice paper, you can also eat sour shrimp with hot rice. The most delicious bad shrimp dish must be bought here:
- Sour shrimp 21 Dang Tran Con.
9/ Mixed figs
In Hue, when someone invites you to eat “fig,” it means they want you to have fun and eat for fun. That’s why figs in Hue are often used as snacks and appetizers. When you come here, you must definitely try figs because this is genuinely a Hue specialty; only Hue has figs, guaranteed not to compete with any other country.
An interesting fact is that when you go out to eat in Hue, from restaurants to popular shops, you will quickly come across mixed fig dishes on the menu, proving the love of the people here for this fruit. Grilled rice paper is a “pair of cards” with hybrid figs. Scooping a piece of fig mixed with rice paper and putting it in your mouth is the proper way of eating for the Hue people. Mixed fig is a popular dish; you can easily find this dish at any restaurant in Hue, especially the famous “drinking” shops here.
10/ Food in Hue – Areca candy
The name “areca candy” comes from the shape of this candy, which looks like an opened areca nut. This is a snack that children love, consisting of dried light yellow sugar water inside, representing areca nuts, while a white outside is areca meat, made of powder mixed with sugar.
This Hue specialty has appeared for a long time. Initially, the candy was kept whole and wrapped in dry banana leaves, but today, the candy is opened and wrapped in clear cellophane. You can easily buy areca candy at large and small markets, grocery stores, or right at tourist attractions.
11/ Banh beo
When talking about the Ancient Capital and Hue specialties, how can we ignore the countless types of “cakes” here, from sweet to salty? Hue is truly a paradise of cakes. To start this list, we must definitely mention the famous banh beo dish.
To truly enjoy Hue banh beo, it must be made in small bowls and arranged on a bamboo tray. On the surface of those white cakes are the red-orange color of shrimp, the yellow color of fried onions and pork rinds, and the green color of onion fat. Pour a little chili fish sauce on top before eating; you will feel like all the essences of heaven and earth are gathered in a bowl of Hue dirt cake.
In Hue, two banh beo locations attract the most tourists: Nam Pho and Doc So banh beo. Besides, there are also long-standing shops and restaurants selling banh beo, such as Ngu Binh and Tay Thuong banh beo.
- Banh Beo neighborhood: An Dinh Palace, Ngu Binh Street, Nguyen Binh Khiem Street,…
- Tay Loc Market Food Area – 209 Nguyen Trai.
- Banh beo Ba Cu – 47 Nguyen Hue.
12/ Food in Hue – Filter cake
Hue tapioca cake is divided into two types: wrapped cake (cake wrapped in banana leaves or dong leaves) and bare cake (not covered in leaves), but each type is attractive to diners thanks to the transparent cooked dough that reveals The brick-red shrimp is beautiful and delicious. The filling is usually shrimp and chopped pork belly, and there are also places where whole small shrimp are left.
Like other Hue specialty cakes, tapioca cake is only eaten with sweet and spicy fish sauce, without eating with raw vegetables. You can enjoy delicious Hue-style sticky rice cake at the following addresses:
- Shop 109 specializes in Beo – Nam – Filter – 109 Le Huan.
13/ Food in Hue – Nam cake
Banh Nam is also one of the people’s favorite snacks, appearing in many street vendors throughout Hue city. The Nam cake is rectangular, wrapped in dong leaves, with a layer of white dough dotted with an eye-catching pink shrimp color. A bowl of banh nam will often have shrimp rolls and sweet fish sauce to enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Ba Do Nam Cake – 71 Nguyen Binh Khiem, Phu Cat.
- Hang Me Restaurant – 14 Vo Thi Sau, Phu Hoi.
14/ Banh khoái
If you come to Hue for the first time, you will easily mistake banh khoái for banh xeo because the appearance of these two dishes has many similarities. If you look closely, you will see that the dough crust of banh hoi is minor, thicker, and crispier than banh xeo’s. In terms of appearance, when eaten, the taste of the two dishes is also different, mainly due to the bowl of dipping sauce that comes with it.
The dipping sauce of banh hoi is called “broth.” The broth of the Hue specialty dish banh hoi is made from pork liver, minced lean meat, roasted sesame, crushed peanuts, and original Hue soy sauce.
- Lac Thien pleasure cake – 6 Dinh Tien Hoang.
==> Read more: 20+ attractions in Hue for you to freely check in
15/ Little ram cake
If considered among savory cakes, ram cakes are more straightforward in terms of shape, color combination, and method of making. This feat comes from the fact that banh ram, before becoming a Hue specialty that is easy to try anywhere like today, was once a favorite dish of the Nguyen Dynasty.
The name “banh ram it” is a combination of two cakes: banh ram and banh it. The white round cake on top is banh it, the fried cake on the bottom is banh ram. Eating cake is also a very unique experience.
When biting, first, we feel the elasticity of the sticky rice flour, then the rich shrimp and meat filling in the cake, and finally, the crunchiness of the ram cake. Both delicious to the eye and delicious, banh ram less is a favorite dish of many diners when coming to Hue.
- Hang Me Restaurant – 14 Vo Thi Sau, Phu Hoi.
16/ Food in Hue – Fruit green bean cake
Fruit green bean cake is also known as a “noble” cake because, in the past, fruit green bean cake was only made by famous chefs and bakers to present to the royal court. Therefore, the cake requires a high degree of skill and care from the maker.
“Noble” cake dough is made from green beans, jelly, and food coloring. After mixing the dough, the worker must use his hands to shape popular fruits and vegetables such as oranges, plums, apples, chili peppers, etc. The correct way to enjoy green bean fruit cake in Hue is to drink tea and eat cake at the same time. And chat and confide.
This slow and leisurely way of eating is suitable for ancient royal families or older people. If you want to enjoy and buy this fruit cake as a gift for your loved ones, you can visit the following addresses:
- Dong Ba Market – Tran Hung Dao, Phu Hoa.
- Vong Luc Bo – 79 Nguyen Chi Dieu, Thuan Thanh.
17/ Mussels with rice paper – a simple food in Hue not to be missed
A specialty in Hue that you cannot miss is mussels with rice paper. This is a dish often used in the daily meals of local people. The ingredients of this dish include mussels and fried garlic, and it comes with grilled rice paper or shrimp chips. Although simple, the delicious taste of mussels mixed with the crunchiness of grilled rice paper makes eaters always sob.
Some addresses for you to experience mussels with rice paper in Hue are:
- Hoa Don mussel rice: 64 dishes 7 Ung Binh
- Delicious mussel rice: 7 Ung Binh, Vy Da
- Dap Da mussel rice: 1 Han Mac Tu, Vy Da
18/ Underworld rice – a specialty of the people of Hue
Hades rice is a Hue specialty dish that you definitely should take notice of. According to many folk stories, while King Bao Dai was on a trip. He felt hungry and was treated to this dish by a local person. The ingredients of the underworld rice dish include vegetables, cucumbers, eggs, and meat arranged neatly on a plate. After enjoying the dish, the king praised it. And even when he returned to the palace, he asked the kitchen to make it again.
From there, the story of the underworld rice dish was born to the king of the underworld.
Nowadays, it’s easy for you to try food in Hue in any province or city you visit. But it would be a good use if you come to Hue and don’t try Hue specialties. Rich and full of flavor, color, and taste is what you will remember about the cuisine here.
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