Discover the mouthwatering delights of Nam Dinh that leave travelers near and far impressed.

Nam Dinh, a land imbued with rich cultural and historical values. Visitors not only get to explore many famous landmarks but also indulge in enticing cuisines.

Unveiling the unforgettable culinary wonders of Nam Dinh for travelers to savor.

Litchi Cake

Contrary to its name, Litchi Cake is not made from lychee fruit but from glutinous rice. This delicacy, with its historical significance, was once served to the kings, embodying the essence of Nam Dinh. Today, it graces the streets of Hai Hau district and various other locations throughout the province.

The glutinous rice used for the cake must be of even grains, soaked in water, then ground in a mortar and filtered with thick fabric to obtain the flour. The flour is kneaded with chicken eggs until thoroughly mixed. The eggs used for the cake must be consistent and have a bright yellow yolk. After kneading repeatedly to form a soft, non-sticky dough, it is shaped into round balls resembling lychee fruit and fried in a pan of boiling lard.

Delicious Spinach Cake

Nam Dinh is renowned for its fragrant and tender Spinach Cake. The delightful flavor of Spinach Cake originates from a mixture of glutinous rice flour and spinach leaves, with a filling made from creamy mung beans. Since ancient times, the people of Nam Dinh have upheld the tradition of making Spinach Cake, hence almost every household cultivates spinach leaves for this purpose.

Formerly, the people of Thanh Nam were particularly famous for Cau Oc Spinach Cake, located in Loc Hoa commune, Nam Dinh city. What sets Cau Oc Spinach Cake apart is its filling made from water chestnuts and wrapped in dried banana leaves. Cau Oc Spinach Cake is sweet, chewy, with the fragrance of spinach leaves, and the richness of water chestnuts.

Irresistible Pork Bun

Pork Bun, with its petite and charming appearance, is a delicacy of the Chinese. Resembling fried dumplings but with a baked filling similar to Sóc Trăng coconut cakes. The ingredients for making Pork Bun include wheat flour, pork, eggs, lard, and various traditional spices.

To create delicious buns, the meat is usually marinated with minced garlic, five-spice powder, oyster sauce, honey, then fried until golden brown. The marinated pork is diced and mixed with wood ear mushrooms, lard, and half a boiled egg as the filling.

The cake crust is made from wheat flour. During baking, a layer of oil and eggs is brushed on to prevent the cake from burning. Care must be taken when kneading the cake to ensure that when it is cooked, the layers form thin, stacked shells. A perfect sponge cake should be crispy on the outside and not break when bitten.

Siu Chau Candy

In the early days of spring in Nam Dinh, visitors will see Siu Chau candy being sold everywhere. The ingredients for making Siu Chau candy are peanuts, or peanuts mixed with sesame seeds, sugar, fragrant glutinous rice or rice flour. The peanuts are carefully selected, uniform in size, plump, with pink husks and rich in flavor. The sugar used for making candy is high-quality refined white sugar. The candy is rectangular in shape, long and as thick as a finger.

The crispy candy melts in the mouth with the rich flavor of sesame and peanuts, the sweetness of sugar, and the aroma of glutinous rice flower and yellow flowers. Siu Chau candy does not stick to the teeth like other peanut candies and can be kept for a long time without spoiling. The candy can be yellow or reddish-brown, resembling amber.

Giao Thuy Rolled Pork

Giao Thuy rolled pork is classified as one of the unique and delicious dishes, made from pork meat, pork skin mixed with rice flakes and spices... gradually becoming popular everywhere. To make delicious rolled pork, the processing process must be quite sophisticated. The meat used for making rolls must be delicious pork leg meat.

After meticulously filtering the pork skin and lean meat, the lean meat is gently boiled, then thinly sliced, gradually tenderizing the meat. Crafting bì is a meticulous process, involving selecting lean pork, soaking it in salt, washing it thoroughly, and boiling it until just cooked, then thinly slicing it with a knife. The key aromatic ingredient of Giao Thủy nem nắm is the toasted rice powder. This powder is made from fragrant Hải Hậu eight-grain rice.

The toasted rice powder is thoroughly mixed with pork skin and pork meat along with fish sauce, garlic, kneading it thoroughly so that the ingredients penetrate the meat and skin evenly, the meat enveloping the powder, adhering tightly to the skin… The nem is then tightly grasped and wrapped with sung leaves, đinh lăng leaves, and outer layers wrapped in dong leaves.

Thành Nam Chopstick Noodles

Only sold on the sidewalk, Thành Nam chopstick noodles are extremely enticing with their fragrant, rich broth along with large round noodles hidden beneath scallion oil, crab bricks, bean sprouts, vegetables... The noodles are usually served with morning glory, mustard greens, and coriander. Thành Nam chopstick noodles have a rich sweet taste, slightly sour, redolent with the aroma of field crabs, a light dish that can be eaten at any time.

Nam Định Sticky Rice

Nam Định sticky rice consists of fragrant glutinous rice. The rice is served with char siu, Chinese sausage, and a fragrant, rich sauce with a spicy kick of pepper. The bowl of sticky rice is brought out while still smoking, diners simply need to mix the bowl of sticky rice well and then enjoy, the fragrant aroma of the rice, the sweetness of the tender stewed meat make everyone ecstatic.

Kênh Village Rolled Cake

In ancient times, Kênh Village rolled cake was one of the most famous delicacies. During the Tran dynasty, Kênh Village rolled cake was always favored by kings and mandarins. Many liken Kênh Village rolled cake to a type of white, thin as silk, and soft as the lips of a young girl, hence it was very popular.

The rolled cake is made from Moc Tuyen rice mixed with aged rice. The process of making the rolled cake is extremely sophisticated and delicate, resulting in a complete masterpiece. Kênh Village rolled cake is eaten with delicious fish sauce squeezed with lime and chili, coriander, mint, basil, and tasty cinnamon rolls... creating an unforgettable specialty in Nam Dinh.

According to Mytour

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Reference: Mytour Travel Handbook