Top 14 Finest Local Specialties in Hà Tĩnh

1. Hương Sơn's Bounty - Cam Bù

From the land of knowledge, Hương Sơn, along the banks of the Ngàn Phố River, has given birth to numerous heroes of the past and present. The picturesque Ngàn Phố River area is also renowned for its Bù Orange Specialty, famous nationwide, especially during festive seasons and family ancestral offerings.

Bù Orange from Hương Sơn boasts a sweet, succulent taste, and a delightful fragrance. The golden orange peel is particularly delicious. Despite the various orange varieties in Hà Tĩnh, none can match the reputation of Bù Orange. This fruit is highly selective of its soil, thriving only in certain regions of Hương Sơn. It ripens around the Lunar New Year and is widely used as a gift. Once you have the chance to savor it, you'll never forget its unique flavor. If you visit Hà Tĩnh around Tet, consider buying a few Bù Oranges to experience a taste you won't regret.

2. Cu đơ

When one thinks of Hà Tĩnh, cu đơ immediately comes to mind—a type of candy that visitors from all around come to enjoy and purchase as gifts. While many places attempt to make this candy, none can compare to the deliciousness found here. To create a tasty piece of candy, several steps are involved. Firstly, the choice of honey must be pure honey sourced from the mountainous regions, with a glossy yellow color. The peanuts must be small, with no impurities, and a shiny shell.

The rice paper should be a small, high-quality variety with many black sesame seeds, and it must be evenly crisp when baked. Despite having the right honey, peanuts, and high-quality rice paper, the cooking process is crucial. Only when the honey is boiling should the peanuts and ginger be stirred clockwise, mixing them thoroughly by hand. To check if it's ready, a drop of honey falling into water should form a round bead without dispersing. This is a crucial point in the cooking process; if done too early, the candy will be sticky, weakly cohesive, with unripe honey and uncooked peanuts. If done too late, the honey and peanuts will burn, resulting in a bitter taste. Finally, a little maltose is added to give the candy a fragrant aroma, and another piece of rice paper is placed on top.

A piece of cu đơ is delightful to eat, featuring a perfect blend of the sweet taste of sugarcane, the slightly spicy aroma of fresh ginger, a hint of light sourness from lime, all combined with crisply baked sesame rice paper. In Hà Tĩnh, there are many places selling cu đơ, but the best is often said to be at Thư Viện, Cầu Phủ...

3. Phúc Trạch Pomelo

Phúc Trạch Pomelo is a specialty pomelo variety from Hương Khê district, Hà Tĩnh province. Phúc Trạch is the village renowned for producing the best pomelos. Phúc Trạch Pomelo is nearly round, with the width and height being almost equal. The stem is not protruding, and the base is slightly concave. The peel is neither smooth nor rough, displaying green and yellow hues, while the flesh has a slight pink tint. This pomelo has a mild, slightly sweet and sour taste with a sweet aftertaste. For its true deliciousness and standard flavor, it must be grown in the Phúc Trạch region of Hương Khê. This fruit is classified as one of the top seven delicious and rare fruits in the country.

Currently, Phúc Trạch Pomelo is primarily grown in four communes: Phúc Trạch, Hương Trạch, Hương Đô, and Lộc Yên (all in Hương Khê district, Hà Tĩnh province). There are 10 neighboring communes also cultivating this variety. However, according to local authorities, the best cultivation is still in a village in Phúc Trạch commune. The total area for growing Phúc Trạch Pomelo in Hương Khê district, Hà Tĩnh province, is currently about 1,500 hectares.

4. Bánh Bèo

Bánh Bèo is a traditional cake found throughout the country, including regions like Huế, Nghệ An, Quảng Bình... However, Hà Tĩnh's version of Bánh Bèo brings its own culinary essence. Made from rice flour, the filling consists of peeled baby shrimp or minced lean meat sautéed with dried shallots. It is then served with fresh herbs.

When enjoying Bánh Bèo in Hà Tĩnh, dip it in sweet and sour fish sauce with a touch of chili to create a delightful combination of spicy and sweet flavors. Whether eaten hot or cold, the cake remains delicious and enticing. When eaten warm with spicy fish sauce on chilly days, it warms the heart. When eaten cold, the cake is slightly chewy, crispy, and full of rich flavors.

5. Đức Thọ Gai Cake

Not as famous as the Gai Cake from Thanh Hóa, but Đức Thọ Gai Cake boasts an equally delicious taste. This cake is made from high-quality glutinous rice, using screwpine leaves to infuse its aroma. The filling is a smooth blend of mung beans and sugar. However, the sweet flavor of the outer layer is derived from the characteristic sugarcane juice of the Central region.

When you take a bite, you'll experience the soft and slightly sweet texture of the cake. As you reach the filling, you'll taste the rich aroma of mung beans and coconut. The cake is not only fragrant but also wonderfully chewy, soft, and enticing for diners. 'Anyone who returns to Đức Thọ in my hometown - lighting incense at Trần Phú remembers the scent of Gai Cake,' and this delicacy follows many Hà Tĩnh natives, becoming a gift infused with hometown love.

6. Ram Fried Cake

Once you've visited the land of sun and wind in Hà Tĩnh, if you haven't tried ram rolled with fried cake (ram fried cake), you've truly missed out. Ram, made from vermicelli, meat, pepper, mushrooms, betel leaves, rolled with rice cake made from rice flour... fried to golden perfection. When you indulge in ram with fried cake, dipped in garlic chili fish sauce, the flavor is beyond compare. If you eat ram fried cake in the early morning, the raw vegetables are enjoyed anytime.

Ram, in Hà Tĩnh dialect, refers to fried spring rolls, a famous dish that contributes to the taste of Vietnamese cuisine. However, tasting ram in Hà Tĩnh brings a truly unique flavor. Fried cake is another name for rolled rice cake, wet cake, commonly used in Hà Tĩnh. Fried cake is simple, just dip it in fish sauce. It can be a daily dish like rolled cake with pork sausage, or more luxurious with snakehead fish soup with fried cake or fried cake eel soup. People in the North often roll it with meat, generously adding fat, while people in the Central region keep the fried cake plain to savor its cool, refreshing, and pure flavor.

Ram fried cake is a harmonious combination of two different types of cakes, both simple and sophisticated, crispy yet chewy, rich but not overwhelming. Despite different preparation methods, both cakes are made from glutinous rice, delicious, white, and chewy. The rice is finely ground into flour, mixed with salt, warm water poured in, kneaded until firm and smooth. A skillful baker knows how to use just the right amount of flour, making the cake thin but resilient.

7. Jumping Squid

Being a coastal region, the seafood specialties here are exceptionally fragrant, fresh, and among the sea products, jumping squid is the most delicious. Jumping squid here is caught directly from the sea and processed right on the boat, preserving its freshness, sweet taste. Squids, whether boiled, grilled, steamed... all are fantastic. Sitting on a boat amidst the vast water and enjoying grilled squid, steamed squid... isn't it a masterpiece? The most famous and delicious jumping squid is in Vũng Áng.

Each region in Vietnam has different ways of processing and enjoying, but in general, these are quick, hot dishes to preserve and feel the original freshness of jumping squid. Jumping squid has many ways of processing. A simple way is to use it on the spot, the caught squid is grilled on a charcoal stove right on the boat's deck. Fresh and fragrant grilled squid, dipped in chili sauce with salt and pepper mixed with lemon is delicious. Eating this type of squid, diners will feel the freshness, the squid's meat is crispy and chewy, giving a refreshing and satisfying feeling without getting tired. Usually, only those who go squid fishing near the shore by coracle have the opportunity to enjoy this delicious fresh squid because of its timeliness.

When it comes to the specialties of Hà Tĩnh, one cannot overlook the snakehead fish salad - a dish closely tied to the coastal region, rivers, a special gift unique to the coastal area of Xuân Nghi. The snakehead fish measures about 13-18 cm, with a body larger than the thumb, residing near the coast, resembling the freshwater fish species. The snakehead fish can be prepared in many delicious dishes due to its firm, white flesh, sweet taste, and is available almost all year round.

Enjoying snakehead fish salad is a must with aromatic herbs and various leaves such as water mimosa, centella, young mango leaves... along with green mango, sour star fruit, thinly sliced green bananas. When eating, roll the fish with rice cake, dip it in the broth, and you will experience the rich taste of the fish, the nutty flavor of coconut, the spiciness, the sourness, and the refreshing sweetness, making it truly special and unmatched anywhere else.

Đức Thọ Beef Noodles showcase its distinctive charm through a unique selection of ingredients and meticulous preparation. The specialty from Hà Tĩnh is handcrafted, resulting in large, round noodles with the color of cherry blossoms, untouched by the whitening process.

The primary ingredients for this noodle variety are fresh, tender beef from the freely grazed cows near the levee of Đức Thọ village and locally sourced rice. Despite its less appealing appearance compared to many other noodle types, this culinary gift from rural Hà Tĩnh continues to win the hearts of diners with its simple, fragrant, and rustic flavors.

Hà Tĩnh boasts two precious types of citrus, namely Hong Dong Lo in Thach Ha and Hong Tien in Nghi Xuan. Hong Dong Lo has square-shaped fruit, with green-orange or yellow skin and yellow flesh. When ripe, Hong Dong Lo is both sweet and fragrant. Hong Tien - a specialty of Nghi Xuan, Hà Tĩnh, has a beautifully dark color when ripe, thin skin, and a soft, sweet, and fragrant taste. Both varieties of these Hà Tĩnh specialties ripen from late summer to the end of autumn.

In the autumn, especially on the Mid-Autumn Festival, Hong Dong Lo is often used as a gift from rural Hà Tĩnh to friends and family. This unique cultural aspect has preserved the value and distinctive features of these citrus fruits through generations to the present day.