Huế’s royal cuisine is not merely about preparing food; it is an art form embodying the sophistication, intricacy, and prestige of the Nguyễn Dynasty. Each royal meal undergoes seven meticulous preparation steps, from selecting premium ingredients to artful presentation, reflecting utmost respect for the emperors. The people of Huế have a refined palate, cherishing a delicate balance of bitter, sweet, and salty flavors. While royal dishes represent the pinnacle of culinary artistry, Huế’s salt coffee brings this refined essence to the masses in a simpler, more accessible form. This article explores the intricacy of Huế’s royal cuisine, the sophistication of its flavor balance, and how salt coffee captures this heritage, concluding with an introduction to UFO Coffee’s instant salt coffee. 

The Seven Steps of Preparing a Huế Royal Meal

Huế’s royal cuisine is renowned for its meticulous preparation, ensuring every dish is a masterpiece. A royal meal requires seven steps to achieve perfection:

• Selecting premium ingredients: Only the finest produce is chosen, such as An Cựu rice, Tịnh Tâm lotus seeds, or Khánh Hòa bird’s nests. Even water spinach is grown in perforated bamboo tubes, using only the tender tips that emerge for maximum sweetness.
• Meticulous preparation: Ingredients are processed with care. For example, fermented shrimp paste is aged for 7-10 days with rice wine and spices, while lotus seeds are strung together to remove their bitter cores, ensuring a nutty, sweet flavor.
• Multiple seasoning stages: Royal chefs season dishes at least three times—during marination, cooking, and before serving—to achieve a harmonious flavor profile without overpowering the ingredients’ natural taste.
• Balancing yin-yang and the five elements: Dishes are crafted according to yin-yang philosophy, with spicy, salty flavors for winter and sour, bitter ones for summer, aligning with health and climate.
• Artistic shaping: Vegetables are carved into intricate shapes like flowers, birds, or phoenixes, ensuring the dish is visually captivating before tasting.
• Harmonious presentation: A royal meal typically includes 5-10 dishes, arranged for balance in color and form, reflecting elegance and feng shui principles.
• Safety checks: Before serving the emperor, dishes are tested by court attendants to ensure no toxins are present, demonstrating utmost caution.

These steps ensure the meal is not only delicious and nutritious but also visually stunning and aromatic, embodying the Vietnamese saying, “Eat with your eyes and nose before your mouth,” as noted by writer Nguyễn Tuân.

Sophistication in Preparation and Huế’s Refined Palate

The people of Huế are known for their discerning taste, favoring complex, multi-layered flavors—bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and spicy. In royal cuisine, the balance of these flavors is elevated to an art form. Each dish must be harmonious, with no single flavor dominating. For instance, lotus seed and longan sweet soup combines the nutty lotus seeds, crisp sweetness of longan, and light sugarcane syrup for perfect balance.

This sophistication extends beyond preparation to the way Huế locals savor their food. They don’t just eat to satisfy hunger but to experience every layer of flavor, from color and aroma to presentation. Dishes like lotus rice or “eight treasures” (peacock nem, phoenix chả, bird’s nest soup) transform humble ingredients into refined, regal creations through the skillful hands of royal chefs.

In preparation, Huế cuisine emphasizes balancing bitter, sweet, and salty notes. The bitterness (or astringency) from ingredients like tea or coffee is tempered by the sweetness of sugar or milk and the saltiness of salt or fish sauce, creating a rich sensory experience. For example, Huế beef noodle soup is seasoned lightly in summer and saltier in winter to suit the season, showcasing the nuanced adjustments in flavor.

Huế Salt Coffee – Royal Elegance in a Humble Drink

While Huế’s royal cuisine represents the height of culinary sophistication, Huế salt coffee distills this elegance into a drink accessible to all. Originating at a garden café on Nguyễn Lương Bằng Street in Huế, salt coffee was inspired by the romantic tale “Salt Coffee,” about a man who added salt to his coffee to evoke memories of his seaside hometown.

Salt coffee combines the bitterness of robusta coffee, the creamy sweetness of condensed milk and whipped cream, and a subtle salty note from refined or pink salt. The standard recipe includes 25g of coffee, 25ml of condensed milk, and 15-20ml of salted cream (200ml whipping cream mixed with 5g salt). The salt, through sodium chloride, neutralizes the bitterness from chlorogenic acids in coffee while enhancing sweetness and subtle acidity, creating a symphony of flavors.

Enjoying salt coffee reflects Huế’s refined approach: rather than stirring, one sips slowly to savor the salty cream blending with the bold coffee below. This drink is more than a beverage; it’s a cultural story, echoing the sophistication of royal cuisine in a simple, approachable form.

Salt coffee has won over both locals and international visitors, amplified by its viral spread on social media. Foreign tourists describe it as “a surprising sensory delight” or “a perfect blend of salty, sweet, and bitter.” 

UFO Coffee’s Instant Huế Salt Coffee – Royal Flavor at Home

To bring Huế’s iconic flavor to everyone, UFO Coffee has introduced instant Huế salt coffee, capturing the essence of royal cuisine in a convenient package. Made from 100% pure robusta coffee, blended with condensed milk, creamy foam, and refined salt, it delivers the balanced bitter-sweet-salty profile of Huế’s specialty.

Preparation is effortless: mix one packet of UFO Coffee’s instant salt coffee with 75ml of hot water (80-100°C), stir, and enjoy a café-quality drink at home. Free from artificial flavors, it’s safe, healthy, and ideal for busy lifestyles or as a cultural gift showcasing Huế’s heritage.

Experience the elegance of Huế with UFO Coffee’s instant salt coffee—a taste of royal cuisine in every sip!

This article has illuminated the artistry of Huế’s royal cuisine and the charm of salt coffee. Don’t miss the chance to savor this unique drink and discover the refined flavors of Vietnam’s ancient capital!