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| Several tea brands in the city have taken a new approach by adding the flavor of Hue lotus seeds |
While sipping lotus seed milk tea, Ms. Khanh Quynh of Thuan Hoa Ward excitedly shared: “It has a rich tea flavor with a subtle, distinctive lotus fragrance. I don’t like sweet soup, so being able to enjoy my hometown’s lotus in a milk tea like this, I feel very satisfied.”
Some tea brands in Hue, such as Ki-ốt Trà and Tiên Tea, … have cleverly combined traditional Hue lotus seeds with milk tea that “suits the taste” of young people. Each shop has its own unique recipe for this drink, but the common thread is the harmony between tea (green tea, oolong tea, black tea), fresh milk or condensed milk, along with Hue lotus and additional toppings such as cream cheese, pearls. This creativity preserves the “nutritional” spirit of the traditional dish while introducing a youthful touch to the new generation's palate.
“Not only Hue locals but many tourists who visit the shop order Hue lotus milk tea and praise its distinctive aromatic flavor,” said Phuong Nhung, an employee at Tiên Tea brand.
Some rustic Hue snacks, such as sweet soup, dried lotus seeds, five-color cake, pomelo-passion fruit candy, are no longer confined to traditional spaces but are also elegantly served on the Song Trang cruise boat along the romantic Perfume River. This is a unique initiative adopted by An Du Hospitality, a brand that brings traditional Hue dishes, like bun bo Hue, to fine dining tables. Bun bo Hue, a familiar icon, is elevated with modern presentation in a high-end restaurant setting while still preserving Hue’s essence.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy An, investor and CEO of An Du Hospitality, shared that she wants to bring high-end standards to services promoting Hue culture, including helping diners enjoy Hue dishes in a luxurious, professional experience presented in a new style.
Many other traditional dishes have been refreshed by young people by finding ways to “package” them to reach customers everywhere. For example, the Huế Thương brand has “packaged” the hometown flavors of Hue snakehead fish thick-noodle soup and Nam Phổ thick-noodle soup into frozen specialties. This is also one of the rare dishes officially exported to demanding and strict markets like the United States. Additionally, when some Hue cakes travel far, chefs subtly modify ingredients to suit new customers. Instead of fermented shrimp sauce for tapioca cakes wrapped in banana leaves, many chefs have switched to sweet fish sauce or garlic chili fish sauce to suit customers from the North and South regions.
In reality, culinary innovation is nothing new. Even “seemingly unchanged” Hue dishes have undergone many transformations to have their current appearance. For instance, com hen (mussel rice) was once just cold rice eaten with stir-fried clams, but is now “upgraded” with all kinds of herbs, starfruit and mango, boiled bean sprouts, roasted peanuts, and pork cracklings. Or, the noodles for bun bo Hue used to be thick, moderately chewy Van Cu noodles, but now most bun bo shops in Hue prefer using thinner noodles.
Among nearly 3,000 dishes nationwide, Hue cuisine accounts for over 65%, with two main culinary streams: royal cuisine and folk cuisine. Hue dishes continue to serve as culinary “ambassadors,” telling unique stories about this land where tradition and modernity blend gracefully.