Hue cuisine worthy of world’s recognition
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Hue cuisine tells so much about the way of life of Hue people and all Vietnamese that experts say it should be recognized by UNESCO as an intangible culture heritage.
Cuisine researcher Tran Duc Anh Son said Hue cuisine deserves to be recognized just like French, Mexican, or Mediterranean cuisine (which was recognized by UNESCO in 2010).
“The stature and value of Hue cuisine make it worthy of recognition,” Son said.
Though people often think about Nguyen Dynasty Imperial Court cuisine when they think about Hue cuisine, those who know Hue culture say food here is much more than those sumptuous dishes served for kings and queens.
Professor Le Van Hao, a former lecturer at what is now Hue University, said Hue cuisine, which is Hue culture’s third great contribution to the world after its architecture and music, is a philosophy of life to Hue people.
“Their philosophy of life says that life is art, and as art, it should be lived beautifully,” Hao said.
This philosophy translates into a cuisine that cares more about
quality than quantity (though the number of Hue dishes make up the bulk of the whole Vietnamese culinary repertoire) and is meticulously cooked and served, whether it is royal dishes such as pork hash arranged in a peacock shape or commoners’ mussel rice.
Mussel rice, which is made of steamed rice, mussel as well as dozens of vegetables and spices, is considered a quintessential Hue dish that testifies to what Doctor Nguyen Nha, Director of the Vietnam Culinary Research Institute, says about Hue culinary culture, “Hue people cook and eat with all their soul.”
This dish, which is said to be cooked by a Hue housewife with all of her soul, also shows another character of Hue cuisine: simple in ingredients. Nha said Hue dishes are strong in rice and seafood (which is used to make various kinds of sauce), typical of culinary practice of the tropical wet rice culture of Southeast Asia.
This simplicity in ingredients is perhaps best known in a variety of Hue rice cakes. Hue rice cakes, each of which has its own sauce, show a way of life that writer Tran Kiem Doan calls “poor but regal.”
Yet, all of this culinary beauty and richness is being threatened. Nha said hundreds royal dishes and thousands of folk dishes in Hue are likely to fade away.
“That’s why we should immediately draw up a proposal to UNESCO to recognize Hue cuisine,” he said.
Hue cuisine to converge at festival
Three strands of Hue cuisine (royal, folk, and vegetarian) will be showcased at the 4th Traditional Crafts Festival to be held from April 30 to May 3 in Hue City.
Titled Vietnamese Kitchen in Hue Garden, the festival will gather hundreds of culinary artisans from all over Vietnam.
