Discover the Top 12 Delicacies of the 'Quan Ho Homeland' Bắc Ninh

When it comes to rat meat, many people may cringe, but in Dinh Bang, it's considered a specialty. For a long time, the saying has been circulating, 'A feast in Dinh Bang without rat meat is incomplete.' Just this short phrase is enough to understand how 'special' rat meat is to the locals here. And it can be said that the rat meat feast in Dinh Bang has achieved the criteria of culinary art in the ancient land of Kinh Bac for thousands of years, hence its widespread reputation.

It may sound a bit scary, but the famous dish of Dinh Bang village must be enjoyed in Dinh Bang village to be truly authentic; no matter how many restaurants there are, it can't compare to the taste.

No one knows exactly when Ho rooster originated, but its name is closely associated with Dong Ho folk paintings. This breed of chicken is remarkably beautiful, with delicious meat that once tasted, you'll never forget. Ho rooster is renowned as the delicacy served to the King, making it famous in the land of Quan Ho singing tradition.

Depending on their appearance and weight, each chicken has a different price: Chickens under 4kg are priced from 400,000-450,000 VND/kg; 5-6kg chickens are sold from 500,000 VND/kg upwards. Extraordinarily beautiful chickens can fetch prices of millions of VND per kilogram, with people competing to purchase them. Many customers come here to buy chickens, only to exclaim that affording them isn't easy. Yet, they can never forget the savory, sweet taste of Bac Ninh's Ho rooster.

The most delicious Ho rooster is only found in Ho village. Anywhere you go in the village, visiting a restaurant serving this dish allows you to savor the most exquisite flavor. Whether boiled, steamed, or stewed with Chinese medicinal herbs, Ho rooster delights every palate.

Spring rolls are a beloved dish enjoyed by many, becoming an indispensable part of Vietnamese cuisine. In Bac Ninh, you shouldn't miss out on Bui Village Spring Rolls, one of the renowned dishes in the Kinh Bac region.

Bui Village Spring Rolls originated in Bui Xa village, Ninh Xa commune, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province. The craft of making spring rolls here has been practiced for hundreds of years, passed down from generation to generation, preserving the ancestral profession. Nowadays, Bui Village Spring Rolls are available in the market, becoming a delicious, affordable culinary delight and a meaningful gift for friends and family after every visit to Bac Ninh.

Not only known as the hometown of Quan Ho singing, people from Dao Xa are also skilled in preparing vegetarian feasts that are both delicious and exquisite. Every year, on the temple festival (the 7th day of the first lunar month), locals here prepare vegetarian feasts for their guests. Particularly, in the vegetarian feast served in Dao Xa village, 'banh cap' (stolen cake) and 'chao cai' (a type of porridge) are two signature dishes that cannot be missed. Despite being a vegetarian feast, the spread in Dao Xa always consists of nearly ten dishes with more than 10 plates and bowls. On the table, you can find 'banh chung' (sticky rice cake), 'banh rom' (pomelo skin cake), fried cakes, 'banh cap', a plate of sausages, four bowls of soup, five bowls of porridge, and more.

Among these, 'banh cap' and 'chao cai' are the highlights, which used to be indispensable in the vegetarian feast in Dao Xa village. Nowadays, due to the abundance of food sources, very few families in Dao Xa still make these dishes. Currently, only 5 to 7 people in the village know how to make 'banh cap' and 'chao cai', including Mrs. Nguyen Thi Cu and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bay, who are both over 70 years old, and a few other women who are daughters and daughters-in-law who were taught by Mrs. Cu and Mrs. Bay. Therefore, if you want to enjoy a genuine Dao Xa vegetarian feast, you must visit the homeland of Quan Ho singing.

For ages, noodles have become an indispensable dish in the lives of people in Kinh Bac, especially, throughout the country. Every time they enjoy crab noodle soup, grilled pork rolls... they always mention Tien Village noodles, Khac Niem commune, Bac Ninh city. All the steps from selecting rice, grinding flour, cooking, and pressing through molds to create strands are very meticulous and skillful to produce such delicious, chewy noodles. To truly savor noodle with grilled pork, one must go to Tien Village and enjoy a plate of noodles with all the accompanying condiments.

Tien Village noodles are exceptionally fragrant and delicious. The noodles are handmade, both white and eye-catching, with a sweet flavor that is not tough but still soft and sticky. The grilled meat is cooked on bamboo skewers, giving it an incredibly fragrant aroma while retaining the natural sweetness of the meat without losing the spices that have been marinated in it. The noodles are served with fresh vegetables, mixed with a bit of chili, sweet and sour dipping sauce with a hint of pineapple, and garlic, then there's nothing better.

Dinh Bang is closely associated with the history of the Ly dynasty and is also the birthplace of the bride and groom cakes (also known as 'husband and wife cakes' or 'xu xê cakes'). These cakes, often wrapped in pairs, are an indispensable offering in the marriage ceremonies of people in Kinh Bac, symbolizing the loyalty of the couple.

Bride and groom cakes - a type of cake that is delightful to behold and exquisite in taste, not only win the hearts of visitors to the countryside but also become a famous specialty of the Kinh Bac region. This special type of cake encapsulates countless sentiments that people want to convey and carries extremely unique cultural values. You can buy bride and groom cakes anywhere in Bac Ninh, as well as in large stores and supermarkets nationwide.

Anyone who has tasted the plain cake (also known as 'chaotic cake') - a famous local gift from Yen Phong district, will find it hard to forget the sweetness of the meat, the aroma of onions, the crispness of wood ear mushrooms, and the fragrant elasticity of the cake. During festive occasions in Yen Phong, now at the Lim Festival (Tien Du), the Den Do Festival (Tu Son)... restaurants and hotels in Bac Ninh, Hanoi, and even during grand inaugurations and weddings, you will always find the plain cakes of Cho Village. When the alcohol begins to cloud the senses and high-class dishes become tiresome, the rustic plain cake, with its perfect blend of softness and chewiness, crunchiness and fragrance, freshness and lightness, brings clarity and satisfaction to the palate.

Plain cakes are best enjoyed when still warm. During the Lunar New Year festivities, after a few sips of wine, the cakes are unwrapped, sliced with a sharp knife onto plates, and shared among the guests. The plain cakes of Cho Village are neither soggy nor crumbly like other types of cakes you might encounter. They are delightfully crisp, with a rich, creamy filling, and an intense aroma of leaves that sets them apart from any other plain cake.

Royal Ancestor Congee is also considered one of the specialties of the land of quan ho folk songs in Bac Ninh. This dish is closely associated with the legend of Trang Nguyen Le Van Thinh visiting the ancestral temple. Over time, royal ancestor congee has become one of the unique highlights of Bac Ninh cuisine that is rarely found elsewhere.

To cook a delicious pot of royal ancestor congee, the cook needs to build dry rice flour, then knead it with water into a large lump of dough. Next, use a knife to slice the dough into thin slices when the broth boils. The broth of royal ancestor congee is made from boiled chicken or pork broth, and various types of meat are added to the broth and cooked for a while on the stove to give the broth a meaty sweetness. When the congee is cooked, add some onions, pepper, and season with a little fish sauce and salt to taste.

When enjoying royal ancestor congee, diners will perceive the aroma and rich flavor of the broth, along with the smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the congee when it enters the mouth, creating a unique and memorable dining experience for those who have tasted it.

Visiting Diem village, tourists not only get to listen to the smooth quan ho melodies of local singers, but also indulge in the fragrant, rustic sticky rice cakes. It's unclear when these green, aromatic cakes from Diem village (Yen Phong - Bac Ninh) gained their fame and began attracting visitors from far and wide, but these small round cakes have certainly contributed to a unique culinary culture of Kinh Bac land.

The filling of Diem village sticky rice cakes bears resemblance to banh chung, with mashed green beans, fragrant pepper, finely sliced pork belly, and a touch of minced pork fat mixed with green beans to enhance the rich flavor.

Enjoying these cakes while still warm is the best way to savor their deliciousness. At this point, the glossy outer layer emits steam, and guests can blow on them gently while tasting the aroma of khuc leaves, the richness of the bean and pork filling. These sticky rice cakes seem to perfectly combine the distinctive products of Diem village, offering a unique and irresistible flavor that's hard to find elsewhere. Want to listen to quan ho, want to eat sticky rice cakes, head to my hometown Diem village...!!!! That's why nowhere else can compare to Diem village's sticky rice cakes.

Speaking of specialty foods in Bac Ninh, one cannot overlook Dinh To Soy Sauce when mentioning peanut sticky rice cakes. Unlike other types of soy sauce, Dinh To Soy Sauce is made primarily from corn. To create delicious Dinh To Soy Sauce, careful selection of corn kernels is essential. The chosen kernels must be red, shiny, high-quality, evenly yellow, fragrant, and firm. The corn is then dried, cleaned, mashed, and naturally fermented for about half a month.

The production process of Dinh To Soy Sauce involves meticulous selection and craftsmanship, resulting in a flavorful and nutritious condiment. Dinh To Soy Sauce has a rich, sweet aroma, perfect for dipping boiled vegetables, grilled fish, boiled meat, or noodles. Additionally, it's considered a thoughtful gift for visitors to Bac Ninh to bring back some Dinh To Soy Sauce for friends and family.

Peanut steamed cake is the next delicacy on the list of must-try dishes when visiting Bac Ninh. This dish is made from very simple ingredients such as glutinous rice, peanuts, and various spices for seasoning.

With skillful hands and meticulousness, the mothers and sisters in Bac Ninh have created this mesmerizing peanut steamed cake. To make peanut steamed cake, the cook soaks glutinous rice in lime water, then grinds it into flour and cooks it on the stove, stirring thoroughly until it reaches the desired consistency. Roasted peanuts are added and mixed evenly before allowing it to cool, resulting in the peanut steamed cake.

When eating peanut steamed cake, it must be accompanied by a dipping sauce, which is Dinh To Soy Sauce. This is the perfect combination as the flavors of these two dishes complement each other, bringing out the uniqueness of the food.

The last dish on the list of specialties in Bac Ninh is Tich Nghi Fish Porridge. On a chilly day, there's nothing better than enjoying a bowl of hot fish porridge to warm your stomach. So, when visiting Bac Ninh, especially in the winter, don't hesitate to try Tich Nghi Fish Porridge, it will surely satisfy you.

To cook a delicious pot of fish porridge, the cook must be careful to add the fish only when the porridge is almost cooked. When done correctly, the porridge will not be fishy and will be even more delicious. When enjoying this dish, you will feel the sweet and creamy taste of each firm and fresh piece of fish blended with fragrant herbs like onions, basil, coriander, dill, and water spinach, stimulating the taste buds of the eater. So, if you visit Bac Ninh, you must try this Tich Nghi Fish Porridge!