Top 15 Delicious and Famous Specialties of Thanh Hoa Province

Thanh Hoa not only attracts tourists with interesting destinations but also with specialties such as: Fermented pork roll, Four-Pillar cake, irregular-shaped cake, Ich cake,... However, fermented pork roll is still the most well-known and famous specialty, renowned far and wide. Thanh Hoa's fermented pork roll has a distinctive flavor compared to nem (fermented pork roll) from many other regions across the country. Coming to Thanh land without trying fermented pork roll or buying it as a gift is like not visiting at all. Fermented pork roll comes in many shapes, depending on the appearance and method of preparation, it can be long, square, cylindrical, or 'thinh' (a specific shape in Vietnamese cuisine). The main ingredients for making Thanh Hoa's fermented pork roll specialty are pork butt meat, fig leaves, guava leaves, 'thinh' (a kind of toasted rice powder), and spices such as chili, sliced garlic. Some places even add pork skin to make it less greasy.

Fermented pork roll is made from raw meat that undergoes fermentation, so it may be difficult to eat for some people, but those who have tried it will surely be addicted. The pork is chewy, sour, accompanied by fragrant 'thinh'. Locals often enjoy fermented pork roll with chili sauce or garlic fish sauce.

Phu Quang Sweet Soup is a Thanh Hoa specialty known affectionately as the 'countryside gift'. This type of sweet soup is named after the Vinh Loc district of the past. It's a popular street food and also a convenient specialty to buy and take home as a gift.

Phu Quang Sweet Soup in Thanh Hoa has a unique flavor, not as soft as traditional sweet soup, but captivating food enthusiasts with its delicious crispiness that melts on the tongue. The main ingredient for making sweet soup is glutinous rice. The rice used for sweet soup is not ground from natural rice but has to be washed until completely white, then roasted until golden and cooled before grinding into the desired flour. Roasted peanuts are peeled and crushed finely.

Phu Quang Sweet Soup has a beautiful golden color, best enjoyed with tea, combining rustic charm with a hint of sophistication. The bitterness of the tea blends with the sweetness of sugarcane, the nuttiness of roasted peanuts, and the fragrant stickiness of glutinous rice, all in a very natural way. If you have the chance to visit the Vinh Thanh commune market or Vinh Loc town, make sure to buy Phu Quang sweet soup for the most authentic taste.

Tứ Trụ Thorny Cake is an indispensable specialty in the culinary map of Thanh Hoa. This rustic cake, rich in countryside flavors, leaves everyone who tastes it nodding in approval. Tứ Trụ Thorny Cake is a specialty cake from Thọ Diện commune, Thọ Xuân district, Thanh Hóa province. The cake is divided into 2 parts: the crust and the filling. The crust is made from glutinous rice, covered with dried thorny leaves, while the filling consists of mung beans, coconut, lotus seeds, and lard. The deliciousness of the cake depends largely on the thorny leaves. The leaves, neither too old nor too young, are soaked to remove the bone smell, then mixed with cake flour, and the rest is used to wrap the square cakes.

The thorny cake is chewy, and the first bite reveals a mouthful of filling. The fragrance of the thorny leaves creates a unique flavor for this specialty dish. To this day, the craft of making thorny cakes in Mia village still exists, with over half of the households still engaged in the profession. If you have the opportunity to pass through Thanh Hoa, seek out Mia village and taste the Tứ Trụ Thorny Cake, and don't forget to buy some as gifts.

Chi Ne Rice Wine has a distinctive flavor derived from being made with locally grown rice. The water used to make the wine is sourced from underground springs in Chi Ne village, Cau Loc Commune, Hau Loc District, Thanh Hoa Province, and nearby villages. The water, combined with rice and a blend of 36 medicinal herbs, concocted by the locals through a distillation process, creates a truly exquisite beverage.

Chi Ne Rice Wine carries a rich aroma. Even upon opening the bottle, one can smell the intense fragrance of glutinous rice mingled with a hint of traditional herbal medicine. When consumed, Chi Ne Rice Wine doesn't impart a burning or bitter sensation, but rather a gentle, soothing feeling. The tingling sensation on the tongue leaves the drinker feeling light and euphoric, starting from the very first sip.

Chi Ne Rice Wine, with its unique flavor profile, is something one will remember after just one taste. It's truly a special gift bestowed upon the land of Thanh Hoa by nature itself. This one-of-a-kind specialty must be experienced by loved ones, as missing out would be a great pity.

Spiked Wheel Cake (or flat cake, leaf cake) is a type of cake wrapped in banana or dong leaves, with a filling of pork belly, wood ear mushrooms, ground pepper, and dried minced onions that have been sautéed, and the crust is made from finely ground rice. The cake can be steamed or boiled until cooked. When cooked, it has the aroma of pork belly, wood ear mushrooms, and pepper mixed with the scent of rice flour, emitting a fragrant, irresistible smell. It's called spiked wheel cake because its shape resembles a spiked wheel - a tool used by the people. This is a rustic and familiar food of many regions in the Northern Delta.

Spiked Wheel Cake tastes even better when eaten hot. The sensation of holding the hot cake in your hand, flipping it back and forth to peel off the outer layer, is truly fascinating. Locals dip the spiked wheel cake in salty fish sauce with a little pepper added. The cake is chewy, and the filling inside is fragrant and easy to eat. Getting a hot spiked wheel cake in your hand on a cold day is incomparable.

Fermented shrimp paste is made from a creature of the same name, similar to a crab but smaller. The shrimp are cleaned, their shells removed, and then they are mashed. Salt is added and mixed thoroughly before being placed in a jar and sealed tightly. The jar is left in a cool place for about 10 days before being sun-dried for about 1 week. Finally, roasted rice powder mixed with rice koji is added to the jar to reduce the shrimp smell and create the characteristic delicious flavor. Using fermented shrimp paste to dip boiled vegetables or boiled meat is unbelievably delicious.

Another famous type of paste in Thanh Hoa is fermented krill paste. In the past, people in Thanh Hoa used to make fermented krill paste to offer to the kings. Nowadays, fermented krill paste is much more common. After being caught, the krill are cleaned thoroughly. They are then mixed with roasted rice powder and salt before being placed in a jar. After one month, the krill and rice powder have fermented and blended together to create a very eye-catching brick-red color.

To enhance the aroma and taste of the paste, locals often fry it with shallot oil or steam it. A bowl of hot fermented krill paste eaten with white rice is enough to satisfy anyone's appetite.

In addition to fermented pork roll, it can be said that glass noodles are also a specialty of Thanh Hoa land. Cam Thuy Glass Noodle - Thanh Hoa is a very familiar name to many people. Glass noodle Cam Thuy evokes nostalgia for many because of 3 differences compared to other types of noodles. That is, the noodles are completely made from natural ingredients, have a meticulous production process, and have a characteristic aroma of galangal. Cam Thuy Glass Noodle is made from 100% galangal flour. Of course, the galangal used is clearly identified before use. This type of noodle contains no additives, no preservatives, and no bleaching agents, ensuring safety for consumers when used.

Thanh Hoa Glass Noodle is distinctive because of its galangal flavor. This is also one of the flavors that many people love. This gentle aroma adds to the attractiveness of the dish. The noodles have a greenish color, not too bright white, but still quite eye-catching and gives a genuine feeling to the product.

Exploring Thanh Hoa means immersing yourself in beautiful landscapes and famous historical sites. Especially, Thanh Hoa is renowned for its unique dishes that are hard to find elsewhere. Cháo Canh (Canh Porridge) is one such dish, exclusive to this region. Let's delve into this flavorful hometown dish with Mytour!

Thanh Hoa boasts a wide array of delicious and rustic dishes such as fermented pork rolls, fish sauce dip with sesame, rice cakes, pickled small crabs, and square sticky rice cakes… These dishes are crafted from the daily lives of the locals. Cháo Canh Thanh Hoa is a quintessential dish here, made from simple and familiar ingredients, yet bursting with flavor.

Cháo Canh is cooked with rice flour, flat rice noodles, and most importantly, bone broth. A bowl of thick porridge is served with pork ribs, peeled shrimp, finely chopped coriander, and a sprinkle of chili powder, making it irresistibly appetizing. Let's discover this famous specialty!

Although being a traditional dish of Thanh Hoa, it's quite rare to find this dish sold here. If you want to try Cháo Canh, head to the side of Vườn Hoa market. The stall opens from 2 p.m., always bustling with customers, and usually sold out by 5 p.m.

Phi is a type of seafood that lives in both saltwater and brackish water, but is abundant in the coastal area of Cau Sai – Thanh Hoa. Few people know that this oddly named seafood used to be a delicacy for kings. Phi resembles a sea clam, but with thinner shells, the largest of which can be as long as a forearm, with a thick, creamy white flesh. Among them, Phi Cau Sai is the most delicious and flavorful. Phis often live under the sand and must be dug out to be harvested. Digging for Phi is a challenging task, but it brings delicious delicacies to the people of Thanh Hoa.

Phi can be prepared in various dishes. If you want to savor its original flavor, you can enjoy it raw. Additionally, dishes like soup or fried Phi, when combined with spices, enhance the flavor even more. Especially, Phi must be thoroughly cleaned and prepared raw to be considered truly delicious.

Over the years, although Phi Cau Sai is not as abundant as before, the taste of this dish still deserves to be the essence of Thanh Hoa's cuisine.

Fresh, plump snails lying gracefully on the plate, emitting a fragrant aroma of lemongrass and spicy chili, mixed with the rich flavor of snails, tantalize anyone passing by Ben Ngự Street, Thanh Hoa City, every afternoon. Ben Ngự Street in Thanh Hoa is famous for its snail dishes, as there are nearly a dozen restaurants specializing in various types of snails such as sucking snails, screw snails, and sea snails... As the street begins with Thanh Ha Pagoda, many people refer to the snails here as Thanh Ha Pagoda Snails.

Here, there are many attractive variations for you to choose from, but three snail dishes have become the hallmark of Ben Ngự Street: sucking snails (tube snails), screw snails (mitre snails, stone snails, apple snails), and sea snails (conch snails). Tube snails, or sucking snails, are a name used to refer to a very delicious type of tube snail that is rarely sold elsewhere. Restaurants often import large bags of tube snails, caught in the coastal areas of Thanh Hoa and raised in some places. The restaurant owners share that to ensure the quality of the ingredients, after purchasing, the snails will be soaked in a large basin of water with fresh chili for about 1 - 2 days to release all the mud. After cleaning, the snails are lifted out and dried under the gentle sun to let the mud smell inside the snails dissipate.

When eating, you will use a pair of scissors to cut off the tail and suck each snail one by one. The rich flavor of the snails marinated with spices and the fragrant lemongrass and chili scent will be an unforgettable experience for those who are tasting it for the first time. Many diners like it spicy and mix it with crushed fresh chili or chili powder.

When visiting Thanh Hoa, many people often overlook the city, thinking that Thanh Hoa City does not have many interesting attractions to offer. However, what they may not realize is that the street food tour in Thanh Hoa City is an experience worth trying.

Nam Ha Baguette is a famous street food specialty in the Thanh Hoa City area. While there are many bread shops in Thanh Hoa, tourists should visit the traditional Nam Ha Baguette shop on Truong Thi Street. This chain of bread shops has been thriving for over 20 years.

The crispy hot baguette comes with a variety of fillings, but the most delicious ones include baguettes stuffed with fried sour fermented pork, dried beef, roasted pork... What sustains the long-lasting popularity of Nam Ha Baguette is not only the carefully selected fresh ingredients but also the traditional secret sauce that adds an unmatched flavor.

If you ever have the chance to visit Thanh Hoa, don't forget to stop by Truong Thi Street to enjoy Nam Ha Baguette!

14. Shrimp Pancake in Cast Iron Pot

Delight Pancake seems similar to Southern-style sizzling cake in terms of preparation, but the ingredients differ, bearing the distinctive traits of Thanh region, including cilantro, cabbage, shredded lettuce, and fresh shrimp. Delight Pancake dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce is truly appetizing. Sometimes, people replace fresh shrimp with chicken eggs for a change of taste.

The main ingredient to make Delight Pancake with shrimp is rice. After soaking, rice is ground into rice flour. To make Delight Pancake, other ingredients such as cilantro, cabbage, shallots... and especially fresh shrimp are also needed. Shrimp for making Delight Pancake must be fresh river shrimp, bought early in the morning, then cleaned, marinated, and stir-fried until cooked. Cilantro stems are used instead of leaves, and cabbage is shredded finely...

The best time to enjoy Delight Pancake is in the afternoon when leaving work. You can easily find it on Truong Thi, Dao Duy Tu, Han Thuyen streets, Vườn Hoa market...

Steamed rice rolls have long been a favorite light dish for many Vietnamese people. These round-shaped cakes are soft and smooth, with a delicious flavor from the rice flour and richness from the meat filling. Combined with the aroma of fried shallots, you can hardly find another dish as delicate yet flavorful as this one.

According to tradition, steamed rice rolls have been around since the 18th Hung Vuong dynasty. It has been passed down and become a popular dish throughout the country. Depending on different regions, this type of cake has its own characteristics in preparation.

Due to being nourished by sediment from the Ma River from year to year, the agricultural land of Thanh Hoa has achieved great success for many centuries. This is also the source to create many delicious dishes from rice. One of them cannot be missed is Thanh Hoa Steamed Rice Rolls. A dish that encapsulates the essence of Thanh culture through the skillful hands of the people in this land.