10 Ben Tre specialties create the simple, unique cuisine of the coconut land

July 17, 2020 11 mins to read
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Ben Tre, also known as the land of coconuts, is located in the western part of the river and has a peaceful and gentle landscape. It has become a popular ecotourism destination for both domestic and foreign tourists.

Moreover, the sedimentation of the river region has led to the creation of diverse ingredients for dishes in Ben Tre. Coconut dishes, in particular, are well known and famous here. This unique culinary feature is enjoyed by the locals and visitors alike.

If you want to learn more about the specialties of Ben Tre, then join Vietnampeace.com to access more information in this article!

1. Coconut Rice

Traveling to the land of coconuts and enjoying Ben Tre specialties, how can you miss coconut rice? It seems like a simple dish, but coconut rice has a complicated and elaborate processing process. Ben Tre people will choose delicious, round, large, and pure white rice to bring the best rice dish. Combined with cooked coconut rice, it brings a light, sweet, fatty aroma and makes an impression right from the first bite.

When returning to Ben Tre, visitors will enjoy the 1-0-2 coconut rice specialty with a selling price of only about 15,000 VND/fruit.

2. Coconut weevil

Coconut worms have long been famous as a delicious dish in Ben Tre, very familiar and loved. Made from the beetle’s larvae in the soft part of the coconut tree, they are rich in nutrients and have a unique fatty, nutty flavor.

Eating them raw with fish sauce is very popular among the dishes with coconut weevils. Although not everyone dares to taste this dish, after enjoying it, you will fall in love with the unique flavor of this specialty.

Reference price: The price of coconut weevils will usually be sold by individuals, and depending on the quantity, the price will be different.

If it is frozen coconut weevils, the price is about 10,000 – 15,000 VND/worm.
If the coconut weevil is as giant as the tip of a round thumb, the price is about 22,000 – 25,000 VND/worm.

3. Shreded flour soup cake

Not an exception to today’s delicious Ben Tre specialties, chopped dough noodle soup is an effortless duck noodle soup dish eaten with ginger fish sauce. But every detail and element that makes up this dish has brought uniqueness and novelty to diners when enjoying it.

The noodle soup is made from delicious rice ingredients, and the process of making each noodle soup is done by hand. In particular, the cloudy egg broth from the flour secreted during cooking, combined with moderate seasoning, creates an unmistakable flavor. Duck meat is marinated and stir-fried, so it has a unique aroma. From only 30,000 – 40,000 VND/bowl, you can feel a unique flavor from the unique combination of river ingredients.

Visitors can find this dish at Lac Hong market or at the foot of Ca Loc bridge in Ben Tre to enjoy the most delicious noodle soup.

4. Sour soup with Siamese mud carp  and vegetable hummingbird

Sour soup is a well-known specialty in Ben Tre. It is made from familiar ingredients such as Siamese mud carp fish, the vegetable hummingbird, and water lily stems,… Combined with a light, sweet, and sour broth, it creates a dish that is both strange and familiar to you. Hard to forget.

Reference price: About 120,000 – 150,000 VND/portion (depending on time and number of people eating).

5. Coconut Voles

What are Ben Tre’s specialties? If you are still wondering about this, Coconut Voles is a dish you should not miss. Although they are rats, they are similar to coconut weevils. Coconut voles live on coconut trees and eat coconuts. So catching them is not easy.

After the coconut voles are caught and processed, they will be marinated with spices and grilled on a charcoal stove. From there, the finished product is vole meat that is yellow, moderately chewy, and has a unique aroma that not all types of meat have. Currently, coconut mice are gradually becoming a specialty chosen by gourmets for parties and are often sold for 80,000 – 110,000 VND/kg.

Reference address:

Ben Tre Floating Restaurant: Nguyen Van Tu, Ben Tre
Ninh Kieu 5 Restaurant: Binh Khoi Quarter, Ward 6, City. Ben Tre

6. Rice Snail Sizzling Pancakes

Next, among Ben Tre specialties, Rice Snail Pancakes are indispensable. This is a typical dish at Phu Da island. It’s also a regular pancake, but in Ben Tre, the filling will be replaced with delicious rice snails, served with some raw vegetables, dipped in sweet and sour dipping sauce, and all the flavors of the Southwest region will come rushing back.

Rice snails are opaque white and have a fatty and fragrant taste. They can be used in many different dishes. In particular, rice snails make banh xeo less tedious and more attractive. Reference price: 55,000 VND/piece.

Reference address: Snail Rice Cake: 6C – Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Ward 8 – Ben Tre City, Ben Tre

7. Coconut Tuber Salad with  Shrimp and Pork

Not only is it a unique dish, Coconut Tuber with Shrimp and Meat Salad also brings many good nutrients to the body, supporting health and the digestive system. The tofu root is the part deep inside the coconut tree trunk, combined with pork belly, shrimp, onions, and peanuts,… to create a crunchy, rich, and delightful dish.

Visitors can find this dish at many restaurants in Ben Tre because it is quite a popular dish and is considered an appetizer on the menu. You can order the appropriate portion depending on the number of people eating. Usually, there will be a regular salad priced at about 190,000 VND and a special salad priced at 350,000 VND.

8. Ben Tre Coconut Candy

Regarding Ben Tre, coconut candy is an absolute must-try delicacy. It has a distinctive sweet and rich coconut flavor, making it delectable and never dull. The candy melts softly in your mouth and is carefully packaged for long-term preservation. If you can visit Ben Tre, this treat should be on your list of gifts for your family and friends. A box of Ben Tre coconut candy costs around 40,000 VND.

Reference address: Yen Hoang Coconut Candy: No. 60A4, Quarter 1, Phu Tan Ward, Ben Tre City, Ben Tre Province.

9. Grilled Snakehead fish

Grilled snakehead fish is a specialty of Ben Tre that tourists should not miss. This rustic dish has a unique appeal that’s hard to find elsewhere. The fish used is caught alive, cleaned, and left whole. It is then skewered through its body with a stick and grilled by piling straw around it.

Once grilled, the fish meat emits a sweet aroma that’s very distinct. It’s best eaten with raw vegetables, noodles, and a chili garlic fish sauce. The average price for a portion of grilled snakehead fish is around 140,000 VND per fish.

Reference address: Tourist farm – Vam Ho bird sanctuary: Tan Quy hamlet, Tan My commune, Ba Tri district, Ben Tre province.

10. Son Doc Puffed Cake

Son Doc Puff Cake is a mouth-watering dessert that combines the fragrant flavor of sticky rice with sweet, fatty coconut. This simple yet unforgettable snack is a popular treat in Ben Tre. The aroma of the cake is so tempting that it’s hard to resist.

The cake has a spongy, soft, and slightly sticky texture, thanks to the premium sticky rice used in its preparation. The subtle scent of coconut adds to its irresistible appeal. It’s the perfect gift for your family and friends after a trip to Ben Tre. You can buy the cakes at Son Doc Market or any nearby bakery. A bag of 10 cakes costs only about 60,000 VND and will give you a taste of the rustic flavors of Ben Tre’s coconut land.

Ben Tre’s cuisine is not sophisticated or complicated, but it is incredibly memorable because of its simplicity and unforgettable simplicity. With information about the most delicious Ben Tre specialties today, we hope that readers will get helpful information and choose delicious dishes when they have the opportunity to visit the coconut land, thereby making their trip more impressive. Symbolism and meaning.

Đặc sản xứ Dừa

Coconut specialties (photo collection)

Coconut

Ben Tre is the land of coconut, the paradise of coconut lovers. Coconuts are grown in Tam Phuoc commune, Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province, especially famous for green sapodilla.

Dừa Bến Tre

Ben Tre Coconut (photo collection)

Unlike other coconut varieties, small sapodilla coconuts, green eyes cool, water is not too sweet but not too sour, has a moderate taste, very suitable for many ages, especially for pregnant women. Coconut can be used as a beverage directly, copra can make food or make coconut jelly smooth, crunchy, attached to the childhood of those who were born and raised on this land.

Thuyền dừa

Coconut boat (Photo collection)

Coconut candy

The sweet taste of coconut blends in the toughness of the candies that have so many people. If traditional coconut candy has only coconut flavor, today, to serve the needs of enjoying and taste of each person that coconut candy has more flavors like durian, jackfruit, cacao, cashew, …

Kẹo dừa ngọt bùi

Coconut candy sweet Bui Bui (Photos collection)

Kẹo truyền thống

Traditional sweets (Collected photos)

Despite many variables, Ben Tre coconut candy retains its traditional flavor.

Coconut weevil

Coconut weevils are actually coconut worms, fat, white worms and the best way to enjoy them is to eat raw dips with chili sauce. However, coconut weevil is also the raw material for processing many dishes such as grilled, fried butter, steamed sticky rice … quite strange mouth and attractive to visitors.

Đuông dừa

Coconut weevil (photo collection)

Food from insects can scare you, but be brave to indulge once in a coconut weevil, you will definitely be fascinated.

Món ăn từ đuông dừa

Dishes from coconut weevil (Photo collection)

Coconut mouse

Rats are one of the most “horrible” dishes in Vietnam and coconut rats are the most popular and familiar food for the people of Coconut. Unlike normal mice, coconut mice have sharp teeth so that they can absorb the sweetness from the coconut, so the mice are very fat and have many nutrients. In addition to the usual ways of enjoying such as grilling, cooking or storing coconut, steamed coconut meat in a rice cooker is really a gourmet’s choice.

Chuột dừa béo ngậy

Fatty coconut mouse (Photo collection)

Snail fried coconut milk

Coconut stir-fried snail is not a strange dish in all regions of the country, but the special feature of this Ben Tre specialty lies in the thick, white coconut sauce, blended with the pungency of chili, the rich taste of Snails, all create an unforgettable taste for visitors.

Ốc xào cốt dừa

Coconut fried snail (Photo collection)

Coconut water fish

Just like fried snail with coconut water, coconut fish is processed in clay pots, can be stored by straw or fire, the smell of straw smoke mixed with the faint coconut smell when opening clay pots really attracts visitors.

Cá kho nước dừa

Coconut braised fish (Photo collection)

Ben Tre is a land of rivers and canals with a rich source of natural fish, bringing the aftertaste of the country and the flesh filled with coconut aroma of fleshy, sweet, sweet of the land of the West.

Coconut wine

Coconut wine captivates people rather than making people drunk like other wines. The aroma is passionate, sweet, cool and pure as the life of the people here.

Rượu dừa

Coconut Wine (Collected Photo)

Bananas Beating

The childhood of the children here has been attached to this strange but rustic food. People often choose the green bananas to bake, until the peel turns yellow, put it into a plastic bag, crush and then bake until continue to turn the yellow flesh of the banana to be able to enjoy with the juice. Coconut has been boiled and chopped onions.

Chuối đập chấm cốt dừa

Banana with coconut dots (Photo collection)

Bananas are quite suitable for enjoying on rainy days or cold days that make people feel warm again.

Bread dough soup

Also known as rice flour soup, Ben Tre often cooks with ducks and ginger fish sauce. Banh Canh is chopped to taste, the broth is milky, slightly comparable of rice flour, making many people think of the North porridge.

Bánh canh bột xắt

Bread with dough soup (Photo collection)

Rice snail pancake

Rice snail pancake is a typical snack of Ben Tre, especially in Phu Da islet, where a huge amount of rice snail is concentrated. Rice snail is the raw material to replace shrimp meat, bean sprouts, herbs; Just a spoonful of rice snails and pickles, rolled in the leaves, you will enjoy the full flavor of Ben Tre.

Bánh xèo đặc trưng

Signature pancakes (Photo collection)

Coconut rice

White plastic rice combined with the sweetness of coconut water will be an interesting experience with Ben Tre flavor.

Cơm dừa

Coconut Rice (Collected Pictures)

Ben Tre is the land of coconut, the evocative dishes reminiscent of coconuts and the smooth green gardens with canals and monkey bridges will be a new destination in your travel journey.

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