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Thái Nguyên - a land renowned not only for its scenic landscapes, historical legends steeped in mythology, and majestic mountains that captivate the soul but also for its rich and diverse culinary heritage. It is the culmination of the natural bounty of the forests, traditional culture, modern flair, and the skilled hands of its people. Let's explore some delicious dishes you must try in Thái Nguyên!
Table of Contents
Banh chung Bo Dau
Banh chung Bo Dau is one of the most famous delicacies of Thái Nguyên. Bo Dau village, located in Co Lung commune, Phu Luong district, is considered the place to preserve this quintessential Vietnamese culinary delight. 'Banh chung cooked in the water of the sacred well, fragrant with heavenly flavors', perhaps this folk verse has long become the pride of the people here - one of the 5 most famous banh chung-making villages in the Northern region.
Banh chung Bo Dau must be made from fragrant sticky rice from Dinh Hoa, clean pork from ethnic minorities, and dong leaves harvested in Na Ry, Bac Kan. With skillful hands and abundant experience, they produce beautiful cakes. Perhaps that's why the flavor of Banh chung Bo Dau is incomparable to others. It is a specialty available all year round, not just during Tet, attracting countless tourists from all over to enjoy. The harmonious blend of flavors from heaven, earth, nature, and humans crystallizes into the famous specialty gift of Thái Nguyên - Banh chung Bo Dau.
Banh Cooc Mo
Thái Nguyên is not only a land of many scenic spots and historical relics but also a place with many famous specialties. Among the cakes of the Tay people in Thái Nguyên, banh cooc mo is a simple yet intriguing dish with a very distinctive flavor. To achieve the perfect cooc mo, aside from selecting ingredients and leaves for wrapping, the cake-making process requires delicate and skillful techniques. The cake is made from fragrant sticky rice, each grain plump and uniform. The water used in making the cake must be from a mountain spring, clear, and sweet.
Rice cakes are usually wrapped in forest leaves or mai leaves. After harvesting the leaves, trim the stems and tips, clean and boil them until soft for easy wrapping. When wrapping, place two leaves on top of each other, hold both ends of the leaves to form a funnel shape, use a small bowl to scoop rice and fill the leaves to the brim. While wrapping, each cake contains about 1.5 cups of rice, like a water cup. Hold the bottom part with one hand to prevent the rice from slipping, hold both ends of the leaves together and fold them down to seal the rice, then bend the leaves to one side. After that, use rattan strings or small bamboo strings to tie them back together. The cake has 4 corners, three sharp corners and one blunt corner. After wrapping, steam the cakes for about 4 hours and then remove them to cool.
The Tay people make cooc mo cakes all year round and sell them at local markets. For just 20,000 VND, tourists can get a bunch of fragrant and enticing cooc mo cakes. Cooc mo cakes may be simple, but hidden behind them is the symbol of solidarity, always standing together, wishing for a prosperous new year for the highland people.
Dinh Hoa bamboo rice
When visiting Dinh Hoa, tourists not only learn about the significant historical events of the ethnic groups but also immerse themselves in the unique festivals of ethnic minorities and enjoy the charming local products. Bamboo rice is one of the simple dishes of the ethnic minorities in Dinh Hoa but has a strange allure due to the combination of mountain water, fire, and young bamboo tubes. Bamboo rice is a simple dish of the people of Dinh Hoa, simple because it is associated with the streams at the source and the terraced fields on the hillsides, the lush bamboo forests of the ATK land in the past but unforgettable for tourists if they have the opportunity to taste it.
To make delicious bamboo rice, you first need good glutinous rice, which is the golden flower sticky rice grown on the field, harvested around September to October. The sticky rice grains are plump, round, free of impurities, soaked in warm water. The tool used for making is young bamboo tubes or bamboo tubes, still fresh so that when cooking bamboo rice, only the outer part burns, and the sweet water from the bamboo tree permeates into the rice. Each bamboo tube or bamboo can only be cut from three to four tubes, each tube is 30 cm long... The people of Dinh Hoa make bamboo rice by pouring soaked glutinous rice into bamboo tubes, with three parts of rice, two parts of water, leaving about 5 cm near the mouth of the tube (so that when the rice expands, it will seal the tube) then knot it with banana leaves and cook it over the fire.
Light up a fire, wait until it's fully ignited, then place it on a rack and arrange the bamboo tubes on top. When placing the bamboo tubes on the stove, the bamboo skin is still fresh, when the bamboo rice is cooked, the bamboo skin also changes color. Whether the fire is big or small will determine whether the bamboo rice cooks quickly or slowly, under the skilled hands of women, the bamboo tubes are turned evenly, the rice grains inside will be evenly cooked. When the rice is cooked, the enticing aroma spreads out. In bamboo rice, there is the flavor of the earth, the sky blended together, the gentle taste of young bamboo, bamboo, the scent of morning dew on banana leaves, and the faint silhouette of the bustling kitchen fire on winter days... Peel off the charred bamboo skin, cut the bamboo rice into pieces, arrange them on a plate, the rice is smooth like sausage, the inviting aroma calls distant guests to taste. Bamboo rice can be kept for a week without getting stale or moldy. Bamboo rice is eaten with sesame salt, both rustic and simple, rich and unforgettable.
Australian sticky rice sauce
The profession of making sauce in Uc Ky commune is not exactly known when it started, it is only known that for a long time, every household knew how to make sauce and each had at least 1 pot of sauce to eat throughout the year and to give as gifts to visitors. Over time, the profession of making sticky rice sauce has become a traditional profession of the local people and is becoming a specialty food product that is gradually reaching out to markets inside and outside the province. Anyone who has visited Uc Ky commune cannot miss the opportunity to taste the rich, sweet, and fragrant taste of sticky rice sauce. This specialty dish is made from Thau dau sticky rice, one of the things that makes it different from other regions making sticky rice sauce.
Sticky rice sauce made by farmers has a distinctive flavor, a shiny yellow color of soy sauce, soft and smooth. The sticky rice sauce here is made from 3 main ingredients: glutinous rice, soybeans, and white salt. Like soy sauce from some other regions made from glutinous rice, soybeans, and salt, but Uc Ky sticky rice sauce has its own flavor because the glutinous rice used by local people is Thau dau sticky rice, a special type of glutinous rice currently grown in 2 communes of Uc Ky and Xuan Phuong, Phu Binh district, Thai Nguyen. Making Uc Ky sticky rice sauce requires very meticulous craftsmanship, and also requires experienced people to make delicious sauce. Not only does it have prepared ingredients, traditional secrets, but each jar of Uc Ky sauce also carries the thoughts and feelings of the sauce maker, that's how to make a delicious jar of sauce.
Thau dau glutinous rice is carefully selected, they are rice grains exposed to enough sunlight, not broken, not crushed, and have the aroma of new rice for processing into sauce. Thau dau glutinous rice is cooked into rice so that it is evenly cooked and not dry, then spread out on clean trays to dry, turn evenly for 3 days and then cover with banana leaves to ferment, until the rice grows moldy and has a yellow color is done. When you come to Uc Ky at any time of the year, every family has fragrant sticky rice sauce.
Wormwood cake
This is a traditional cake of the Tay ethnic people that has existed for a long time. Every year, on special occasions, the Tay people often make this cake to offer to their ancestors. This dish has been passed down through many different generations. Until now, this delicious cake is still the endless pride of the Tay people on this land of Thai Nguyen. If you often eat wormwood, you will surely know about the miraculous effects of this plant in treating diseases. Therefore, wormwood is considered a good medicinal herb for health. That's why the people here have created the famous Thai Nguyen wormwood cake like that. Under the skillful hands of the Tay people, the green wormwood cakes are born looking very attractive and appealing.
Among the delicious specialties of the Tay people, the rice cake is always one of the most famous specialties known to many. At first glance, this cake looks somewhat like a thick cake but it has a very distinctive green color. In terms of shape, it looks exactly like a thick cake. Rice cakes are often made on occasions like the Clear and Full Moon festivals in the seventh lunar month. Therefore, if you travel to Thai Nguyen during these times, you will definitely get to enjoy this unique and delicious rice cake of the Tay people. Although it is a rustic cake, on important occasions, the Tay people often make and offer it to their ancestors as a way to show respect and gratitude.
Thua Lam shrimp rolls
Shrimp rolls are known as a long-standing, unique dish of the people in Thua Lam village, Pho Yen town, Thai Nguyen province. With simple ingredients, yet the attraction of this dish is not only recognized by the locals but also voted by the Vietnam Records Organization as one of the 100 typical specialty dishes of the country.
To make shrimp rolls, you need fresh shrimp, cleaned and then skewered on toothpicks so they don't curl when fried. Fried eggs, lean pork, and boiled pork fat sliced about 5 - 6 cm long. Onion bulbs are blanched in boiling water, then wrapped with fried shrimp, a little lean pork, fried eggs, boiled pork fat, and rolled with onion. When eating, you can dip it in lime fish sauce with garlic and chili... When you eat, you will be delighted with the crispy fragrance from the fried shrimp, the refreshing taste from the herbs, the fatty taste from the pork, fried eggs... Especially, this dish is very suitable for festive days, very good for preventing satiety.
Black persimmon in Ha Chau, Thai Nguyen
The black persimmon tree has been planted in Ha Chau for hundreds of years. Even now, many ancient persimmon trees still stand tall and provide shade. Black persimmons are hardwood trees that blossom in February and bear fruit in July of every lunar year. However, the persimmon season can extend until the end of September because persimmons do not ripen all at once, some trees ripen earlier while others ripen later. The persimmon fruit is diamond-shaped, black when ripe, with golden flesh and a creamy white kernel inside.
Black persimmons can be processed into stewed persimmons and cooked persimmons. Stewed persimmons are dipped in sauce and enjoyed with boiled pork belly, creating an exquisite taste. Cooked persimmons are stewed until tender and then poured into jars for gradual consumption. If you have the opportunity to visit here, you will certainly be treated to this specialty by friendly locals. Nowadays, persimmons help people escape poverty and become wealthy on their homeland. Persimmons are not picky about soil, but perhaps the fertile, rich soil along the Cau River has created the rich flavor, aroma, and thick flesh of Ha Chau persimmons, making them a specialty that traders from all over seek to buy and take beyond this land to create many rustic yet flavorful meals for countless families.
Binh Long tofu
Whenever the name Binh Long commune, Vo Nhai district is mentioned, everyone is familiar with the renowned profession of making fragrant tofu. Crafting tofu requires meticulousness, precision, and craftsmanship to produce batches that appeal to both the taste and sight. However, the Binh Long tofu village harbors secrets in tofu-making that outsiders find elusive. The primary ingredient for making tofu is soybeans. The soybeans grown in Binh Long soil are round, shiny, and uniform. Among the tofu-making steps, boiling the filtered soybean water with vinegar is crucial. The vinegar-water ratio must be perfect; excessive vinegar makes the tofu slightly bitter and tough, while insufficient vinegar results in mushy and crumbly tofu.
Unlike elsewhere, tofu in Binh Long is pressed in large molds and cut into small slabs. Binh Long tofu is pressed in large molds, each slab weighing about 1 kg. This tofu dish can be prepared in various ways, but to truly appreciate and retain the essence of Binh Long tofu, all one needs is to enjoy white tofu dipped in shrimp sauce. Incredibly delicious and refreshing, the soft, fragrant, creamy tofu melts in your mouth, enticing you to keep indulging without getting bored.
Da Tu fermented pork rolls
Unlike other types of fermented pork rolls that can be eaten immediately after unwrapping, Da Tu fermented pork rolls require an additional step of grilling over charcoal or frying in a pan before consumption. Made with pork shoulder meat, garlic, rice wine, black pepper, roasted rice powder, and guava leaves, each roll is carefully wrapped in banana leaves and can last for several days. To ensure quality rolls, only the meat from two pork shoulders is used. The meat is thoroughly washed and filtered, thinly sliced, then mixed with finely chopped garlic, ground pepper, white wine, and fragrant roasted rice powder.
Once the ingredients for wrapping nem are prepared, the nem pieces are carefully wrapped in banana leaves and guava leaves. The inner layer is usually made of bitter guava leaves, providing a suitable bitter taste, while the outer layer serves as a protective coat made of fresh banana leaves. The nem are wrapped just right, not too tightly, to allow for fermentation and prolonged preservation. Using banana leaves to wrap nem creates a fresh green color and a glossy appearance. Nem can be ready to eat in 3 – 4 days. When enjoying Dai Tu sour fermented pork rolls, they are often accompanied by sung leaves, đinh lăng, etc. Depending on personal preference, diners can also dip them in garlic-infused fish sauce or chili sauce to enhance the delicious flavor of this dish.
Savoring Dai Tu sour fermented pork rolls allows you to experience the bitterness of guava leaves blending with the tender sweetness of the meat, while the lingering aroma of grilled banana leaves infuses from the charcoal. If you don't have the means to grill nem over charcoal, you can unwrap them and microwave them, or pan-fry them for about a minute until they are cooked. The flavor of Dai Tu sour fermented pork rolls is incomparable to any other type of sour fermented pork rolls. If you ever visit Dai Tu for the Van Vo Mountain Festival at the Lưu Nhân Chú Temple, Thái Nguyên Province, remember to buy some Dai Tu sour fermented pork rolls as gifts for your family and friends. Once you've tasted them, you'll find it hard to forget.
Hung Son rice vermicelli
Hung Son rice vermicelli boasts a unique crispiness, chewiness, and aroma. It's no coincidence that Hung Son rice vermicelli is so beloved. The locals here make the vermicelli using a special type of rice called Dinh Hoa pregnant rice. The rice is carefully selected, thoroughly husked, soaked for 8 hours, then ground into flour. The resulting dough is kneaded repeatedly, filtered multiple times, then left to ferment overnight before being rolled out into sheets. These sheets are cut into uniform vermicelli strands. What's special about this type of vermicelli is that no additives or chemicals are used. Therefore, the vermicelli has a completely natural white and chewy texture, exuding the fragrant aroma of rice. When eaten, the sweet taste of the mountain rice lingers on the tip of the tongue, leaving an unforgettable sensation.
According to the folks in Dong Hy, early season bamboo shoots are always tastier than those late in the season. Perhaps because all the nutrients have been concentrated into the early shoots, by the end of the season, their energy has depleted. Bamboo shoot season is indeed springtime, the season of sprouting and flourishing vegetation.
Water spinach
Water spinach also goes by many other names such as morning glory, water convolvulus, water morning glory, water spinach vine... It has a similar shape to regular spinach but with larger, softer, and plumper stems. People often use the stems and young leaves of water spinach for cooking. It has a distinctive fresh taste, so when cooking, people often blanch the leaves to reduce the flavor. However, its deliciousness always makes people crave and forget about its slightly pungent smell.
The flavor of water spinach is truly unique. It is not to be confused with other wild greens; it's a harmonious blend of earthy, foresty aromas, and the purity of the highland air. The most notable aspect of this dish is its somewhat... fresh aroma. Therefore, when preparing this dish, one must blanch the leaves to lessen the pungent smell. Despite this, when eaten, one cannot entirely avoid a slight lingering aroma. We can easily liken it to the experience after eating shrimp paste vermicelli, similarly, after eating water spinach, it's just the degree of “fragrance” that differs.
Nham
Nham or fermented black persimmon is an elaborately prepared dish made from persimmons and is considered a traditional dish of the people of Thai Nguyen. Nham is typically eaten during the ripe persimmon season. A complete nham dish often consists of many ingredients. Among them, persimmons are indispensable, peeled and diced into small pieces. There are usually two types of nham: raw fish nham and grilled fish nham. Raw fish nham involves slicing the fish meat, while grilled fish nham entails grilling the fish over charcoal. Mixed together with sesame, peanuts, betel leaves, and heartleaf, you have a complete nham dish full of rustic flavors. Nham can be enjoyed with rice paper or rice crackers, both equally enticing.
Around July and August, according to the lunar calendar, black persimmons have ripened. 'July sunshine sprouts persimmons, August sunshine ripens the fruit pink,' and this is when the people of Ha Chau make the most nham. However, to make the specialty dish of nham outside of persimmon season, one must know how to preserve black persimmons by boiling them until tender, then adding salt to let them ferment and settle, and they can still be used after a few months. Traditionally, black persimmons from Ha Chau are grown scattered along the banks of the Cau River. The riverbanks, as well as the wide garden areas of households, are filled with persimmon trees, especially the black variety. Black persimmons are diamond-shaped when young, white in color, and blackish-green when ripe.
During persimmon season, traders from distant places come to Ha Chau to place orders, and homeowners simply have to pick the persimmons and get paid. Persimmons have always been a fruit cherished by the people of the Ha Chau region along the banks of the Cau River as a local specialty. Stewed persimmons, persimmon meat stew, persimmon sticky rice. Especially fermented black persimmon mentioned earlier is a dish used by locals on every occasion, festival, or hospitality. In the past, fermented black persimmon was even offered as a tribute to the king, and the people considered it a precious product, crystallizing the skillful culinary talents of the local people.
Rice cake wrapped in leaves
Rice cake wrapped in leaves, or 'banh nang', is a unique cake of the Tay people in Thai Nguyen. It is also a famous cake in many places, but the Thai Nguyen rice cake has its own distinctive flavor that cannot be found elsewhere. The wrapping rice is usually glutinous rice, either 'vai' or 'hoa vang'. The outer leaves are typically 'chit' leaves. These chit leaves are long enough to wrap the cake and flexible enough not to tear. The water used to soak the cake must be carefully filtered and not soaked for too long. The glutinous rice grains, after cooking, have a light yellow color, are clear, and have a chewy texture. Thai Nguyen rice cake, when eaten with sugarcane syrup, is incredibly delicious.
In the past, rice cake wrapped in leaves was often made during insect killing festivals. Nowadays, when you visit Thai Nguyen, you can enjoy rice cake wrapped in leaves at any time of the year. In the peaceful countryside of Phu Binh, Thai Nguyen province, a very unique custom is still preserved: Every full moon day, the first day of the month, or whenever there is a worship ceremony, rice cake wrapped in leaves, a traditional dish of the local people, will be made.
If you ever visit Thai Nguyen, be sure to enjoy the delicious cuisine here. You will surely be pleasantly surprised by the delicious aroma and the unique, delicious flavors of the local dishes.
Posted by: Đông Hoàng
Keywords: Top 15 most famous delicious specialties of Thai Nguyen
