Thua Thien – Hue (VNA) – Hue city, whichhas long been known as the only place in Vietnam that has royal dishes, isstriving to become the capital of gastronomy in Vietnam.

Authorities of the central province of ThuaThien – Hue have projected to invest more than 12.4 billion VND (542,500 USD),including 3.7 billion VND from the State budget and the remaining from organisationsand individuals, to build a brand name for Hue dishes in 2018-2020.

The move is significant as many Hue dishes,which are now available in the market, are inauthentic because they are notprepared in a proper way and with wrong ingredients, causing the false tastes.

More than 1,000 Hue-style dishes are being preservedat present. Hue is best known for elegant royal cuisine, which was served tokings under the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945).

One distinctive quality of Hue food is theharmonisation of yin and yang in each dish. For example, molluscs are alwayscooked with chilli, pepper, lemongrass and grapefruit leaves, "hot"spices that balance the "cool" features of the water-based creatures.

Various snack-like items, such as ‘banh beo’(rice cake with grilled shrimp), ‘banh nam’ (flat steamed rice dumpling), ‘banhbot loc’ (dumplings with shrimp), and ‘banh canh’ (cake soup), to name but afew, are a major part of the Hue cuisine. 

Visitors can find these items at Hue restaurantsin Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. ‘Bun bo Hue’ (spicy beef noodle soup), a localbreakfast dish, is also popular around the country.

Some Hue dishes have been listed as thecountry’s best foods by Vietnam’s Record Book such as bun bo (beef noodles),com hen (rice with mussels), banh beo (rice cake with grilled shrimp), banh botloc (dumplings with shrimp), banh khoai (fried rice crepes), ruoc (shrimppaste), me xung (sesame candy), che hat sen (sweet lotus seed pudding), tomchua (pickled shrimp), and thanh tra (a grapefruit variety that was served tothe king).

Meticulousness of Hue cuisine comes all the wayfrom ingredients selection to dish decoration, which has always attractedpeople’s attention when visiting the former capital of Vietnam.

During Hue Festival 2018, restaurants within thecity were bustling with both domestic and international diners. Many visitorsrevealed that cuisine is the magnet pulling them into the ancient city.

Myriad activities were being held throughout theevent in order to promote the city’s one-of-a-kind cuisine, including Hueinternational food festival, royal gala dinner, and vegetarian food court,among others.

In addition to completing a dossier to recogniseHue as a food capital of Vietnam, Thua Thien-Hue province moves to build aculture and food museum in the imperial city.-VNA