Lotus roots that lie deeply in the mud, through hands of Hue people, are “upgraded” to become a sophisticated exquisite dish. Though far from a luxurious dish, many people are willing to cover tens of kilometers just to taste it.

I remember the first time I tried this dish was at the Thuy Bieu Thanh Tra Festival in 2022. Walking amidst the shimmering green and golden-yellow stalls of this special local fruit, I picked up a small bag of candied thanh tra peel before heading home. To this day, the flavor of that simple yet rustic treat lingers in my memory.

At 8 p.m. Tram and her friends were present on the coast in Giang Hai (Phu Loc). They thought they were early, but in the dim light of flashlights, they saw tens of people already there choosing the best herrings.

Thua Thien Hue has the most dishes honored in Phase I of the project, including Hue beef noodle soup, tapioca dumpling stuffed with roasted pork sweet soup, mussel rice, tapioca dumplings, vegetarian fig salad, and vegetarian steamed rice wrapped in lotus leaf.