Imperial Cuisine

The city of Hue, right on the Perfume river was the Imperial capital of Vietnam for 150 years.
In that time there was an Emperor named Tu Duc, a really picky eater, who demanded his food be different than that served to ordinary people.

SO the chefs of the time transformed food into art.
The trend stuck and its since been known as "Imperial Cuisine"

There are a few places in Hue that still carry on the tradition.. and amazingly most of the chefs preparing this cuisine are women who have lineage that can be traced back to imperial households.

This knowledge has been passed down through the generations.
This is what we ate!










And here is one of the entrances to the old Imperial City

hola?

Its been ages! Shortly after arriving back from Vietnam I set off again to Sayulita, Mexico.
Another amazing trip with lots of food inspiration and photos!

But for now back to Vietnam..
Thought I'd start with a few images of butcher type shots I took.
Its always interesting to see how other countries handle their animals!

Cao Lau!

When in Hoi An you must try this local dish.
A specialty known by the Vietnamese to only be found in this small town.

Why?

First and most important the Water.
It comes from old wells around the city dug up by the Cham people hundreds of years ago and it's said that this simple ingredient is the source for the unique taste.
(I guess its goes along with that whole, water makes the bagels in NYC!)

Next the Lye used to make the make the noodles come from the ashes of trees indigenous to Hoi An.

And finally the Rice is a local variety.

So what is Cao Lau?

Simply put.. thick rice noodles and beautiful roasted Pork in a pungent Pork broth garnished with Mint, Lettuce, Cilantro and topped off with thinly fried Pork skin.



We decided to head out of the city center and follow all the motor bike drivers to the front of someone's house to eat this.
So simple, so good.

Viet!

The next few posts will be about things I ate in Vietnam.
It was an incredible 2 weeks of eating and being surrounded by an amazingly beautiful country with an energetic culture.

So I begin slowly not with an animal but a fruit that I never knew existed.

The Sapodilla!
A super sweet caramel like tasting fruit with a texture between a really ripe pear and a persimmon.

Oddly the fruit is Native to Central America.
We raise them in Florida, if you see one, buy it!
Cut it open and scoop the flesh out.
Be careful with the seeds, they have a hook to them that can get caught in your throat! Ouch!