Vietnam’s former royal capital, Hue, is paradise for foodies. Phan Nu Yen Chi resorts on Hue’s unique culinary culture.
Along with its famed architecture and romantic riverside setting, Vietnam’s former royal capital, Hue, is known for its exquisite cuisine. With mountains, the coast and the Perfume River delta lying nearby, Hue has access to an impressive hot and humid climate of Vietnam’s South meets the seasonal climate of the North. Fresh and diverse ingredients have contributed to Hue’s unique cuisine.
In terms of culture Hue is a place of meeting and exchange. Vietnam’s culture took root around the Hong River and The Ma River in northern Vietnam. As they moved south, Vietnamese people were influenced by the cultures that they encountered en route, including those of the Chams, the Khmer, other Southeast Asian peoples, and Chinese immigrants.
At the start of the 17th century Hue arose a major Vietnamese center in the South. It attracted talented people from far and wide, including excellent chefs. From the late 18th century, Hue was the capital of the Tay Son and Nguyen Dynasties. As such, it was home to brilliant scholars, artisans.
During this period, Hue cuisine was elevated onto an art form. To this day, Hue remains deservedly proud of its culinary culture. Only in Hue can one find poems about the “100 dishes menu”, created by a first lady in the 19th century. In 1927, Hue became the first city in Vietnam to found a “Feminine Domestic Work Association”. The city’s Dong Khanh girl’s school gained a reputation as the most prestigious school for young aristocratic women in the country.
It’s been said that Vietnamese cuisine is comprised of around 1,700 dishes. Of these, 1, 300 hail from Hue. Dishes include those designed for commoners, royalty and the city’s large vegetarian Buddhist population.
Royal Dining
The “royal dishes” arose out of popular meals that were refined with better ingredients and more elaborate means of preparation. As well as being tasty, dishes served at the court had to be healthy. Food was used to treat medical conditions and boost the royal’s vitality. For this reason, although each royal dish was made by a specialized chef, preparations were overseen by the Royal Kitchen and the Royal Medical Service.
Historical documents reveal that each royal meal consisted of 50 dishes. At parties, hundreds of dishes were served.
Along with fancy and intriguingly named dishes like nem cong (Peacock Sour Mixed Meat), cha phuong (Phoenix Mixed Meat) and bat buu (Eight Flavor Dish), Royals ate dishes that were also enjoyed by commoners, such as braised goby, sticky rice cooked with split peas, pickled scallions, sweet and sour soups, and leaf cakes.
Uncommonly Good
Indeed, Hue’s folk cuisine shares many similarities with the fare once enjoyed by aristocrats, both in terms of diversity and attention to presentation. People are often surprised to learn that an ordinary meal in Hue can comprise ten different dishes. More astonishing still, this tradition dates back over 200 years to when Hue was the most important urban center in Cochin China
To this day, popular snacks in Hue are made with a high degree of sophistication. For example, locals enjoy ten types of salt: muoi sa (citronella salt); muoi ot (chili salt); muoi thit (shredded salt); muoi me (mixture of sesame and salt); muoi dau (terrified bean salt), muoi tieu (pepper and salt); muoi khe (Carrabolla salt); muoi ruoc (mixture of tiny shrimp past and salt) and muoi suon (mixture of pork flank meat and salt). When it comes to types of che (sweet pudding) and chao (rice gruel), there are too many varieties to count.
Buddhist Fare
Originally a Zen capital, Hue boats hundreds of pagodas and thousands of monks and nuns. Buddhism had a profound influence on both commoners and royals in Hue. The emperors, lords, and mandarins always ate vegetarian food before performing heaven and earth sacrifices.
Since most aristocratic ladies were Buddhist, vegetarian food was a focus. Chefs became very creative in their use of a material, cooking methods and presentation. To this day, visitors are amazed by the artful dishes served in a royal – style vegetarian banquet. Meat-heavy favorites like chan gio ham (stewed pork-pie) and ga xe phay (boiled chicken) are recreated using rice, sesame seeds, soy beans and vegetables.
This article written by Lanh Nguyen from Vietnam Heritage Travel
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