Binh Lieu in Quang Ninh is a delightful destination for foodies. With its unique culinary culture, the region offers some must-try dishes that you cannot find anywhere else. From savory street food to fragrant herbal dishes, Binh Lieu's cuisine will tantalize your taste buds. Whether it's a steaming bowl of pho or a hearty plate of stream fishes, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Here is a list of some must-try dishes in Binh Lieu that you should add to your itinerary!

Binh Lieu Black Chicken

Binh Lieu black chicken is derived from a unique chicken breed raised by the H'mong people. This type of chicken is most commonly known as black Mong chicken or by other names such as Meo chicken, Mong chicken, black bone chicken, and in Binh Lieu. Black chicken can be prepared in many different ways. It can be boiled, steamed, or braised, but the most delicious is grilled with wild honey.

 Khau Nhuc

Khau Nhuc is a dish of bacon stewed in water, with a very unique flavor. Different regions are processed in different ways, but one thing they have in common is the characteristic Khau Nhuc flavor of the meat. In Binh Lieu, to make this dish, pork belly is sliced ​​into large square pieces, and is put through many stages of boiling, frying, steaming, and marinating with unique spices, creating a dish full of delicious rich flavors that no other meat possesses.

 Binh Lieu stream fish

Stream fish is a dish that is especially popular with diners because the fish live in a completely natural free-range environment. Stream fish include carp, catfish, man fish, and stream carp. Their main diet consists of algae, grass and plankton, and crustaceans, so the meat of the stream fish is firm, and delicious, without the occasional “fishy” aftertaste found in some fish dishes, In particular, when fried with soy oil - a typical product of Binh Lieu -  the fish will be a moist, eye-catching yellow, and will smell delicious. In addition, stream fish can be cooked in sour soup, which is also very popular.

 Binh Lieu stir-fried Pho

In Binh Lieu, you can enjoy stir-fried pho anywhere, but perhaps to enjoy the most typical fried pho, you visit Dong Van commune. Noodles are sliced ​​into very soft and flexible segments, put on the stove to stir-fry with fried onions,garlic, pork, soy sauce and chopped vegetables. After frying, the pho will turn the yellow color of the noodles soaked in soy sauce, which looks appetizing, soft and delicious, especially when it's served hot. Enjoying stir-fried pho in Binh Lieu will give you a very specific and exciting flavor of Ban pork.

 Mugwort rice cake

Mugwort rice cake is a traditional cake of the Tay ethnic group in Binh Lieu. In the past, when people were still facing many economic difficulties, mugwort rice cakes were often only reserved for festivals to celebrate new rice, for grave digging days, Tet holidays or important holidays of the Tay ethnic group. Today, since the lives of ethnic groups in the highlands have improved, the Tay people use wormwood cake as a daily food, both for commercial purposes and for making cakes for family and friends.

“Duc” Cakes

Made from glutinous rice flour mixed with water and sugar, then kneaded thoroughly and poured into a colander lined with leaves, the mixture is put into a pot with a lid and steamed in a water. The cake can be kept fresh for many days, and when the cake is a bit aged, it can be fried, developing its own delicious taste. The white, soft, smooth cake is placed in a round wheel. The top is covered with a layer of dried onion and other ingredients. On request, the cook will roll them into thin rectangular pieces and display them on a plate as shown. The cake is served with chili garlic fish sauce or soy sauce.

 Binh Lieu Black Canarium

Black canarium is a woody, upright, perennial plant that can live for over a hundred years, flowers in February, and ripens in July and August. Black canarium are diamond-shaped, with two pointed ends, and when ripe, the shell is glossy black, the flesh is purple-red, and the seed has a white kernel. Fragrant, fleshy, rich, and delicious, this plant offers an unforgettably attractive flavor that many people enjoy when trying the black filling, a unique specialty in this mountainous district bordering Binh Lieu.

 Binh Lieu specialties bought as gifts

Binh Lieu dried radish

Radish is a traditional product that has grown wild and has been cultivated for a long time in Binh Lieu, Quang Ninh. Dried radish is made from white radish - once compared to white ginseng for its many effects in supporting health and healing - is grown in the high mountains. The radishes here are very sweet and large, usually from 1-1.5kg / tuber.
Dried radishes are processed manually. After being harvested, they are washed, peeled, cut into pieces, salted for about 30 minutes so that the radishes may absorb the salt and eliminate the water; they are then dried in the sun and aired out for about 3- 5 days.

Binh Lieu honey

Today, it is very difficult to find and purchase wild honey. To get one or two liters of wild honey is not an easy task, as those who specialize in collecting honey have to go deep into the forest and search with difficulty. Thus, one of the only places to buy wild honey is the highland markets
Binh Lieu honey is procured in two ways:
• Mining in the forest
• Harvesting from beehives raised in villages, crevices, and surrounding mountains and forests

Binh Lieu vermicelli

In the past, vermicelli was produced manually by individuals and only served for family meals. It was rarely sold in markets. Currently, the production of dong vermicelli in Binh Lieu has become sophisticated, with machines and technology combined with the traditional manual methods of making vermicelli. The production of vermicelli has increased, and Binh Lieu vermicelli has been recognized in the market as a quality product.

Camellia oleifera oil

Camellia oleifera (Camellia oleifera) oil is a very healthy cooking oil and is rated equivalent to olive oil in Europe.

Cinnamon rind Binh Lieu

Binh Lieu cinnamon trees are grown extensively in Hoanh Mo and Dong Van communes and two crops per year are harvested. Cinnamon and its by-products have well-known health-promoting effects, preventing a number of illnesses.
Cinnamon essential oil is yellow, and has an aromatic, spicy, and sweet taste that is very popular. The parts of the cinnamon tree such as rind, leaves, flowers, wood, and roots, all contain essential oils, especially in the bark with the highest essential oil content, sometimes reaching 4-5%. Cinnamon essential oil has anti-emetic, antiseptic, analgesic, anti-cramp, and anti-flatulence properties, and is easy and pleasant to burn as an aromatic.

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