Top 18 Most Famous Specialty Dishes in Bến Tre

Coconut candy is one of the renowned specialties of Bến Tre that impresses both domestic and international tourists. If you visit Bến Tre from afar, undoubtedly everyone has to carry a pack of coconut candy as a gift. Made from the distinctive coconut tree of Bến Tre, it's no exaggeration to say that nowhere else can make coconut candy tastier than here. Bến Tre's coconut candy is made from pure, fragrant, and creamy coconut milk blended with the sweet taste of sugarcane.

If you want something exotic, coconut candy can be mixed with durian, taro, coffee,... these peculiar combinations leave unexpectedly distinctive flavors. When visiting candy-making workshops, you can even taste freshly made coconut candy, still warm and not completely hardened yet, to experience the sweet taste spreading on your tongue, providing an unforgettable sensation.

A similar snack to rice paper and proudly cherished by the people of Bến Tre is the Son Doc puffed rice cakes. This is a rustic cake made from glutinous rice flour combined with a hint of coconut flavor.

Son Doc puffed rice cakes are harder to bake than rice paper. When baking, it is essential to ensure that the cakes do not burn but still puff evenly. A well-made cake will have a beautiful golden color, a big puffed shape, and a crispy texture. When eaten, it feels crispy and light, with a moderately sweet taste and a fragrant, creamy coconut aroma. Although this common snack is no longer as popular, it surely evokes childhood memories for many.

When it comes to Bến Tre, you often hear about 'My Long rice paper, Son Doc puffed rice cakes'. These are two proud specialties of Bến Tre. Let's set aside the puffed rice cakes and focus on the rice paper. Although not originally from this region, the locals have skillfully infused the flavors of their homeland into it, making it a unique delicacy that is hard to find elsewhere.

My Long rice paper is not just made from rice flour and water; it also includes a portion of pure coconut water. This gives the rice paper a fragrant, rich flavor that you can sense as soon as it hits the grill. When you hold a hot piece of rice paper in your hand, break off a crispy, crunchy bite, and taste the chewy texture blended with the coconut richness, you'll understand why this dish has become a specialty of Bến Tre.

Rice paper has evolved and now includes variations with durian, mung beans, and other unique flavors. My Long rice paper has even been creatively made into raw versions, not requiring baking. In this form, the rice paper carries a deep, subtle sweetness, a fragrant richness, and a chewy texture that's perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea.

Alongside the aforementioned delicacies, Coconut Worms are also an intriguing specialty renowned in Bến Tre. If you visit Bến Tre, at least once you'll be introduced to this somewhat 'frightening' dish. The Coconut Worms referred to here are a type of larva that lives inside coconut trees, with a round body and meaty, sweet flesh.

Coconut Worms can be prepared in various ways such as frying, steaming, grilling, and more. However, the best way to enjoy them is... without any cooking at all, which is the method most commonly heard of. Cleaned and still alive, the worms are placed in a bowl of fish sauce, with a few slices of chili added. This method is often called 'worm bathing in fish sauce,' allowing the worms to soak in the fish sauce thoroughly before being savored while they're still squirming. It might sound spine-chilling, but this is considered the way to fully appreciate the pure, rich, sweet flavor of the worms.

Rice Pancake has always been a specialty of the Southern region. When it comes to the hands of people in Bến Tre, it transforms into a dish that anyone who has tasted it once longs to return to. The rice pancake in the land of coconut trees is unique for its combination with filling made from rice snails, offering a truly exotic flavor.

Rice Snail Rice Pancake in Bến Tre is renowned for its pancake batter infused with creamy coconut milk, creating a very distinct aroma rarely found elsewhere. The filling is also distinctive with shrimp, jicama, and the pinnacle being rice snails. The snails are chewy, crunchy, and sweet, providing a unique taste unlike other savory fillings such as shrimp, clams, or meat. Grabbing a piece of pancake, served alongside fresh and spicy garden vegetables, dipped in a special fish sauce mixed with fresh coconut water, that is the specialty rice pancake of Bến Tre. Additionally, to enjoy rice snail rice pancake, you must time your visit between the 4th and 7th lunar months - the season when rice snails thrive and multiply.

Another dish made from bananas and renowned in Bến Tre is smashed banana. When you hear about smashed banana, many people might be surprised by its name. But there's hardly a more fitting name for this dish. The main ingredient of this dish is a banana, specifically ripe bananas. The banana is placed in a plastic bag and... smashed. Then it's grilled over charcoal until it turns golden yellow.

Enhancing the enjoyment of hot smashed bananas is thick coconut milk, simmered with spices and spring onions. While these two contrasting flavors may seem odd, when you taste a piece of banana with coconut milk, you'll be pleasantly surprised by this unique combination. Smashed banana is likened to a dish bestowed upon the land of Bến Tre by nature.

Grilled sticky rice banana cake is a rustic snack of the Southern people, which many believe originated from Bến Tre, where there are plenty of bananas and coconuts. It's a dish with an extremely simple recipe but leaves a lasting impression on many.

The filling of the cake is a whole banana, wrapped in a layer of sticky rice flour. The cake is then wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled over charcoal. When the outer layer of the leaf begins to wither, the cake is ready. Grilled sticky rice banana cake is a dish of pure natural flavors: the sweet taste of banana, the chewy texture of sticky rice flour, mixed with the aroma of ripe golden rice and the scent of banana leaves. For a more 'stylish' enjoyment, the cake is sliced and soaked in a layer of salty, creamy coconut cream. Just a simple dish, but it encapsulates the flavors of the homeland, as simple and humble as the people here.

Sliced rice cake soup, also known as rice cake soup made from rice flour, is a distinctive dish in the Western region. Nowadays, although it's not as common as before, when you arrive in Bến Tre, you can't miss this dish. It's called sliced rice cake soup because the noodles are made from thinly rolled rice flour, then cut into square, thin strips instead of being pressed into round strands.

When cooked, the noodles are simmered in broth, creating a thick soup similar to porridge. Usually, sliced rice cake soup is cooked with various ingredients such as shrimp, blood pudding,... but the most common is duck meat. The duck meat is marinated before being cooked with the noodles, creating a rich flavor. Cooks often add dried shrimp to the soup to enhance its natural sweetness.

A bowl of sliced rice cake soup is served with a thick smoke aroma, the spicy hot taste of pepper, tasting the rich seasoning and the delicious chewy noodles, irresistibly appetizing. If you're a food enthusiast, you'll order an extra bowl of chewy and fatty blood pudding, dipped with a plate of ginger fish sauce to enhance the flavor of the sliced rice cake soup.

If in the North there's the famous bamboo-cooked rice dish, then the South is equally renowned for its coconut rice from Bến Tre. This is an intricate and complex dish that requires a lot of experience. Nowadays, this dish is mostly available in specialty restaurants.

Before cooking, the rice is soaked in fragrant coconut water, then placed inside a coconut and cooked in a water bath. The coconuts chosen for cooking rice are usually the fragrant coconuts, beautifully trimmed and hollowed out to fit the rice. The secret to making this coconut rice dish lies in precisely measuring the ratio of rice to coconut water, ensuring that the grains swell just enough, fluffy, sweet, neither too mushy nor too dry. This coconut-infused rice is served with various savory dishes, but it pairs exceptionally well with the fatty, savory stir-fried shrimp, stimulating the palate and making everyone crave for more.

Sour soup with so duarfish and linh bong vegetables is a dish you cannot miss when visiting Bến Tre. This is the most delicious and high-quality specialty, especially during the flooding season. This soup impresses diners with its balanced flavors; you won't find it overly sour or sweet, but rather a harmonious blend of all ingredients together.

Sour soup with so duarfish and linh bong vegetables should be eaten freshly cooked as the fish and vegetables are soft and fragile. It can be served with pure fish sauce without lime or chili. This rustic dish not only reflects the local lifestyle but also becomes a favorite for many tourists visiting Bến Tre.

Field crab, a specialty of rural paddy fields. From the South to the North, field crab porridge is a well-known dish. The crab shell is cooked to sweeten the broth, while the rest is ground and added to the porridge. So, what's special about how people from Ben Tre cook field crab porridge?

In addition to the main ingredient, which is field crab, people from Ben Tre also add shrimp, meat, balut eggs, ... to the pot of porridge, unique dishes that seem never to be combined together. A bowl of field crab porridge is scooped out with a balut egg, with some accompanying vegetables. The accompanying vegetables for porridge in the Mekong Delta are usually bitter vegetables, with a distinctive bitterness that helps reduce the fishy taste of the raw ingredients. The sweet taste of the broth, the unique richness of the balut egg, and the bitterness of the vegetables combine to create an unforgettable dish.

Bến Tre is a province famous for coconuts, and therefore, it also has many dishes made from coconuts. And especially, when it comes to Braised Goby Fish in Coconut Water, everyone in Ben Tre knows it. Braised goby fish in coconut water is a signature dish in the culinary culture of the people of Ben Tre and of the entire Mekong Delta.

The fatty goby fish, when braised with a little coconut water, some pepper, and some chili, impresses those who taste this dish with the subtle fattiness of the fish mixed with the sweetness of the coconut water, along with the spiciness of the pepper and chili, ... all of these elements create a delicious meal for diners.

Coconut rat is one of the unique dishes and it's a dish you should try when visiting Ben Tre if you are someone who loves experiences, has courage, and especially isn't afraid of rats. With coconut rats, we can prepare dishes such as steamed, grilled, or curry,...

When enjoying dishes made from coconut rats, you will feel the rich aroma, as these rats have absorbed the sweetness from coconuts, making the flavor very special. If possible, try the special dish of steamed rice with coconut rat, which many people love!

When mentioning Ben Tre, it's impossible not to mention waxy coconut, a very special type of fruit found only in a few provinces in the Mekong Delta. Waxy coconuts differ from other types because their flesh is very thick and creamy, and the coconut water is concentrated like a thin layer of wax inside the coconut.

When enjoying waxy coconuts directly, you'll feel the richness and gentle sweetness of the coconut. If you want to enhance the flavor, you can enjoy a waxy coconut with a little milk, some peanuts, and a little ice, which will bring freshness on hot summer days and a delicious taste. A waxy coconut is relatively expensive, ranging from 150,000 to 200,000 VND per coconut.

Coconut core is a special and famous ingredient in Ben Tre. And there's one dish made from coconut core that you should try when traveling to Ben Tre: Coconut Core Salad with Shrimp and Meat. The first impression when enjoying this dish is the sweetness of the coconut core and its crunchiness when chewing.

To prepare coconut core salad with shrimp and meat, you need main ingredients such as coconut core, pork belly, shrimp, onions, carrots, chili, peanuts, etc. It's delicious when eaten with shrimp crackers and dipping sauce. It can be served as an appetizer at family gatherings, which is very suitable. Moreover, coconut core is not only tasty but also rich in nutrients and good for health, especially the digestive system.

Ben Tre is famous for coconuts and has plenty of them. Thanks to the abundant source of coconuts, the locals have created a new specialty for their region: Ben Tre Coconut Wine. This is a very suitable specialty to bring back as a gift for your loved ones and family when you return from Ben Tre.

To make delicious coconut wine, you need to choose coconuts that are not too young or too old, also known as 'mature' coconuts, and ferment them using traditional methods, preserving them in the intact coconut shell. Besides its delicious taste, coconut wine also brings special health benefits when consumed.

In Ben Tre, coconut cake is a delicious and popular dessert made from coconuts that has been part of the local life for a long time. Giồng Luông Coconut Cake is shaped like small tubes similar to banh tet, but smaller in size and can fit in the palm of your hand. To make a delicious coconut cake, you need to choose sticky, fragrant, and flavorful glutinous rice. When cooking, mix coconut water with glutinous rice, or you can also add bananas or beans to enhance the flavor of the coconut cake.

When enjoying Giồng Luông Coconut Cake, you will experience the rich and fragrant taste of coconut water and glutinous rice, the sweetness of bananas and beans, bringing a unique flavor to the cake. Enjoying coconut cakes and experiencing making them is quite interesting when visiting Ben Tre. Give it a try!

The last dish on the list of Ben Tre's specialties is a simple, light dish, namely milk rice paper cake. This dish is considered a delightful gift for friends and family. To make milk rice paper cake, you need to prepare ingredients such as coconut milk, rice flour, cassava flour, pandan leaves, and durian,... then mix all the ingredients together and steam and dry them.

With milk rice paper cake, you can enjoy it directly or grill it. When eaten, you will feel the richness of coconut milk, the softness of the flour, and the special aroma of durian, all creating a distinctive flavor of Ben Tre's milk rice paper cake.