If you want to enjoy the most sophisticated and imperial dishes in Vietnam, Hue is an indispensable destination because this land was attached to a long feudal regime. Hue cuisine is also extremely diverse. In particular, in Hue there are 36 types of gruel, each one has its own way to process and different taste, this will make you happy to enjoy!
It is often said that Hanoi has 36 streets, Hue has 36 gruels. It means that, if you want to try all kinds of gruels in Hue, one day you eat 3 bowls of gruels, each bowl includes two types of gruels, it takes nearly a week to taste all the gruels of Hue. Indeed, 36 of these gruels are not nearly the same, but completely different in terms of ingredients as well as cooking methods. The lotus seeds gruel is sweet, green beans gruel is fragrant; pineapple gruel, taro gruel, pomegranate gruel, Areca spadix gruel are very suitable for those who like the food with many flavors.
36 Types Of Hue Gruel
It’s just gruel – a Hanoi street food, why people have to make so many dishes? The answer is simple: this is the king’s order. Today gruel is a popular dish, but in the past, gruel is the imperial dish, which is served only in the imperial palace. Because of being the food for the king, gruel had to be paid much attention. Not only the process of cooking must be perfect, but the ingredients must be good to have the best healing effect on the king.
In the hot season, taro gruel can help you to cool down. In cold season dessert wading in water can help you to keep warm, green beans gruel is particularly cool and good at purifying the body. Each type of gruel has one effect, but the most special of them are the gruel made from grilled pork wrapped in cassava flour. This one of the “exclusive” sweet soup in Hue and you definitely should try this dish once when coming to Hue. This is a tea for those who want to enjoy the harmony between the two flavors – sweet of sugar and fatty taste of roasted meat – which only when you come to Hue you have the opportunity to enjoy.
The tourists taking street food tour in Hanoi who have come back to Hue many times will definitely find a similarity between the gruel of Hue with Hue people and the space in Hue. Unlike the sweet and fatty flavor of southern gruel, Hue gruel is soft and somewhat melancholy, like an eighteen-year-old girl. Enjoying Hue gruel you should sip a bit, sometimes accompanied by a cup of aromatic tea, to refresh the taste.
Although today, you can find almost all the gruel of Hue at the big markets, from the royal gruel dishes to traditional sweet soup, to both enjoy the gruel and enjoy the soul of Hue with a complete manner, you can choose the gruel shops on Huong riverside and then listen to the chorus of Hue.
Visitors on food walking tour can find hundreds of popular tea dishes such as corn gruel, che troi nuoc, taro gruel, green beans gruel, red beans gruel, mixed gruel, sweet potato gruel… in the restaurants on Hung Vuong Street, Tran Phu Street, Phan Boi Chau Street, Truong Dinh Street.
Other programs for reference: Hanoi traditional food, Vietnam food tours, Vietnam cooking class