Buzz
Hà Tĩnh, renowned for its natural beauty, also captivates visitors with its irresistibly enticing local delicacies. Dive into the rich culinary heritage of this culturally significant region in Central Vietnam.
Silky Rice Cakes with Crunchy Fried Shallots
No visit to Hà Tĩnh is complete without savoring the delicate harmony of soft, chewy rice cakes paired with crispy, fragrant fried shallots. This dish epitomizes refinement and simplicity.
Ram, crafted from ingredients like vermicelli, meat, chili, pepper, mushrooms, and betel leaves, rolled with rice cakes made from rice flour, then fried to a golden crisp. Meanwhile, 'bánh mướt,' another term for steamed rice rolls, is made from ground brown rice, spread into thin layers. Though seemingly unrelated, these two cakes come together to form a unique delicacy of Hà Tĩnh.
Your journey remains incomplete until you've savored this specialty of Hà Tĩnh.
An intriguing aspect of 'ram bánh mướt' is the tactile experience; you grasp the cool, thin rice cakes, wrapping them around a crispy spring roll or a slice of Vietnamese pork sausage. Holding a small, piping hot 'ram,' encased in delicate rice cake, dipping it into a bowl of spicy, tangy garlic-chili-lime fish sauce, offers a taste experience like no other.
Jackfruit Leaf Salad
Nhút, a humble and traditional dish in every household in Hà Tĩnh, is made from young jackfruit or mature jackfruit fibers combined with white salt. Despite its simple ingredients, the flavor of 'nhút mít' is uniquely tangy and crispy, leaving an unforgettable taste.
Nhút, a hallmark delicacy of Hà Tĩnh, is a familiar favorite among the locals.
This Hà Tĩnh specialty is transformed by locals into various enticing dishes, such as 'nhút' salad with pig's ears, 'nhút' fish soup for cooling off in the summer, or 'nhút' stir-fried with beef or pork belly seasoned with a hint of chili and sugar for the winter. Or simply enjoy 'nhút' dipped in soy sauce or fish sauce alongside a touch of basil—it's equally delightful.
Sesame Rice Crackers
Another irresistible treat that beckons you to Hà Tĩnh is the sesame rice crackers. This Hà Tĩnh specialty, humble and affordable, owes its popularity to its delicious aroma, making it a sought-after gift for loved ones and friends.
The distinctive color of these rice crackers is imparted by the locally sourced black sesame seeds in Hà Tĩnh. Made from premium rice, finely ground and layered, these crackers are then generously sprinkled with clean black sesame seeds.
This Hà Tĩnh specialty pairs well with various other dishes, all equally delicious.
Finally, they are dried and toasted over charcoal until golden and crisp. When eaten, the sesame rice crackers offer a satisfying crunch, a rich, nutty flavor, perfect with dipping sauces, sandwiched between other snacks like banana blossom salad or stir-fried baby clams—a delightful experience for your taste buds.
Vũng Áng Jumping Squid
The coastal area of Vũng Áng is renowned for its abundance of fresh and tantalizing seafood, but none stand out quite like the jumping squid. It would be a great loss if you didn't indulge in this specialty of Hà Tĩnh.
It would be a great loss if you missed out on experiencing this Hà Tĩnh delicacy.
These squids are caught by fishermen at night, then released into compartments on boats filled with seawater before being sold to those in need. Because these squids are quite large, even after being caught, they remain incredibly fresh, which is why locals here call them jumping squids.
There are many ways to prepare jumping squid, but the simplest is to steam the squid whole, preserving its natural sweetness. No need for any additional spices, just a bowl of ginger fish sauce is enough to satisfy any food enthusiast.
Additionally, this specialty squid from Hà Tĩnh can be grilled, stir-fried, or made into squid salad—all beloved by diners far and wide for their fresh, sweet, crispy yet chewy texture, endlessly delightful without ever becoming dull.
La River Clams
The land of Hà Tĩnh boasts a plethora of rustic dishes intertwined with the daily lives of its people. Among them, La River Clams stand out as a humble delicacy, enriching the diverse culinary landscape of Hà Tĩnh.
La River Clams bring a distinctly rich, fragrant, sweet, and savory taste without being overwhelming. Simply simmered with watercress, Malabar spinach, or other garden greens, seasoned with a pinch of salt, elevates the soup to a fragrant and flavorful delight.
This Hà Tĩnh specialty boasts a unique, bold, fragrant, sweet, and savory flavor profile without being overly rich.
Furthermore, river clam meat can be stir-fried with young jackfruit (sour young jackfruit), ginger, or Vietnamese mint; cooked with onions; or incorporated into other rustic dishes like clam rice, clam vermicelli, clam porridge... or simply enjoyed with sesame rice crackers, making for an equally enticing dish.
Spike Rice Cake
Another must-try delicacy from Hà Tĩnh that you've surely heard of and shouldn't miss is the spike rice cake. Originating from Đức Thọ countryside, it gradually spread to neighboring areas and has since become a signature gift of Central Vietnamese cuisine.
Yet another Hà Tĩnh specialty you definitely shouldn't miss is the spike rice cake.
The process of making a spike rice cake is extremely intricate and time-consuming. Gai leaves are carefully selected from leaf gardens, boiled with sugarcane juice, then mixed with rice flour, meticulously kneaded and molded.
The filling is made from soybean and coconut jam. For savory spike rice cakes, a bit of fatty pork is added. The outer layer of the cake is black, the characteristic color of sugarcane juice and gai leaves. When eaten, you'll experience the distinctive deliciousness, chewiness, and richness that's both rustic and unforgettable.
Cu Đơ Candy – Specialty of Hà Tĩnh
Cu Đơ candy is also one of the highly beloved specialty snacks of Hà Tĩnh, made from familiar ingredients like sugarcane juice, peanuts, malt, and ginger, yet the preparation process is quite intricate.
Peanuts chosen for the filling must be hill peanuts, crispy, evenly sized, with thin and glossy outer shells. Sugarcane juice must be thick and fragrant like honey. Rice paper must be selected with an appropriate thickness, not too thick or too thin, especially with sesame seeds and ginger added to the outer layer.
Despite its unassuming appearance, anyone who tries this specialty of Hà Tĩnh finds it delightful.
At first glance, Hà Tĩnh's Cu Đơ candy may seem rough and grainy, but just one bite, with the sweetness of sugarcane juice and a hint of ginger's spiciness, will delight anyone who tries it, leaving them craving for more.
Although these specialties of Hà Tĩnh are humble and affordable dishes, often intertwined with the daily lives of locals, it is precisely because of this that they bring a unique charm, adding vibrancy to the culinary scene of Hà Tĩnh that seems unmatched elsewhere.
Posted by: Chừ Vừ
Keywords: Naming the Specialty Foods of Hà Tĩnh: Unforgettable Delicacies
