Hoi An is a famous old town in Quang Nam Province, in the center of
Vietnam, which is famous for colorful alleys of antique houses,
attractive lanterns at night, and unique cuisine. The Hoi An Cuisine
reflects an art of harmony and moderation. Due to the cross-cultural
influences, the cuisine in this ancient town is diverse, special, and
appetizing. Today, let’s get to know a special dish: the naturally sweet
mussel caught from Hoai River, for your next enjoyable Food Tours to Hoi An.
The Folksy and Yummy Hoai River Mussel Dish in Hoi An
The Hoai River becomes noticeable with a rich resource of the fresh
mussels which become the highly nutrient and delectable dish of the
land. In general, February and March are the two busiest months when the
local fishermen begin the mussel “harvest season.” The residents living
in the riverside fishing villages will sail their boats to the
full-of-mussel areas and then use their nets to catch the clusters of
mussels. According to the local belief, the mussels caught in the months
of February and March are at their sweetest and most nutrient taste. In
fact, catching the mussel is the major livelihood of some families in
the area. The techniques are passed from generation to generation. Mussel harvest season on Hoai River in Hoi An
For your travel to Hoi An, it’s easy to rent a
bicycle and bike along the sides of Hoai River and cross An Hoi Bridge
to reach the hillock of mussel. Most of the guests find it very
interesting to witness how the experienced fishermen skillfully pull the
nest full of mussels out of the water, make them clean, and take them
to the mainland. The newly caught mussels are then processed to serve
the tourists. The dish is folksy, sweet, and nutrient indeed. With the
major ingredient of the fresh mussel, the local chefs create the Hoi An mussel salad
with the addition of various herbs but make sure that the original
taste of the seafood is well preserved. This kind of salad is often
eaten with the grilled crispy rice paper. Besides the mussel salad, the
other favorite dish is the stir-fried mussel combined with the fried
peanuts, shallots, garlic, herb, chili, etc. As seafood should be cooked
quickly, people only stir-fry the mussels less than three minutes.
The mussel salad in Hoai River is so famous that even the
busiest travelers to Hoi An should stop by the area and enjoy the
naturally sweet dish. The original, sweet, and nutrient flavors of the
mussel help the patrons feel fresh and peaceful. Being grateful for the
good meal, many foodies are willing to come back to Hoi An and cherish
the food. In fact, the local people make use of the mussel in their
daily family meals. While some add it as the key ingredient for soups,
the others cook the mussel pancake, sausage, etc. The variant flavors of
the dish make people never be fed up of eating it.
Together with the Mussel Dish in Hoai River, What Does Hoi An Cuisine Have?
The pretty and antique town also attracts many international
connoisseurs with a wide arrange of specialties. You can fulfill the
stomachs with some of the iconic food, from the steamed rice cake to the
white rose appetizer. Thanks to the generation-from-generation
preservation, the culinary art in Hoi An is praiseworthy.
Cao Lau: It is the signature dish of the land.
Including the pork broth, yellow noodle, sliced pork, sprouts, herbs,
etc., the “Cao Lau” dish should be enjoyed with some slices of croutons.
The flavor of this dish remains secretive, and only the sons/daughters
of the ancient town can cook it in a right way.
Hoi An Chicken Rice: It has the rice cooked with
the chicken, turmeric, onions, spices, and Vietnamese coriander. It is
the chefs’ skills to mix all of the ingredients and spice them. Some
variations are spicy with the chili sauce and pepper while the others
have the slightly sweet taste.
White Rose Appetizer: In the rose design, this is a
type of shrimp dumpling. The translucent white dough is cooked with the
shrimp (or pork) inside, and made in the shape of the rose. The
appetizer should be decorated with the fried shallots and served with
the succulent fish sauce which consists of shrimp broth, chili, sugar,
and lemon. The whole dish looks aesthetic and appetizing.
Quang Noodle: The nutrient broth is served with
white/yellow noodle, shrimp, pork, herb, roasted peanuts, and especially
the crispy rice paper. Usually, people prefer the bowl of the turmeric
Quang noodle, and some even slurp it until the last drop. The flavorful
dish can be widely found throughout Vietnam, but Quang Nam is its
cradle.
Steamed Rice Cake: This cake in Hoi An is bigger
and thicker than the one in Hue; also, the flavor is lightly sweeter.
Topped with the fried shallots, chili, spring onions, the steamed rice
cakes can give you a good appetize. Even their eye-catching look urges
you to try some pieces right away from first sight.
Hoi An Culinary Tour for the Foodies All Over The World
The foodie tour in this little old town secures the connoisseurs to
get what they pay for and expect for, with many opportunities to savor
the iconic local food. Meanwhile, the city tour cheers you up with the
antique attractions of the old houses, traditional villages, symbolic
shops, colorful lanterns at night, and more. If you book a Hoi An Food Tour,
also be ready to join the hands-on cooking session and bring home some
good recipes. If you would like the culinary city tour along the streets
of the old town, then get started at 3:00 PM when the streets are for
pedestrians to enjoy various street food (without motorbikes).
The cuisine is one of the highlights to be explored when you visit
any new destination. The same goes for the Hoi An destination. Take your
time to savor the local delicacies such as the naturally sweet mussel
salad in Hoai River, the famous “Cao Lau,” or the identical Hoi An
Chicken Rice!
Comments
Post a Comment