1. 5 Ninh Binh specialties to eat right away

Below are suggestions for 5 ninh binh food specialties to eat immediately. Each dish carries the distinctive flavor of this ancient capital land that captivates everyone from the first taste.

1.1. Mountain goat meat (especially mountain goat spring rolls)

Thanks to the mountainous rocky terrain, local people have developed hill-grazing goat farming, creating firm meat with little fat and natural aroma (some people may find it slightly gamey). When chewed, each fiber of meat mingles with rich spices, leaving a light fatty and appealing aftertaste on the tongue. Goat meat prices range from 200,000 - 400,000 VND/kg depending on timing and meat cuts (thigh and rib parts are usually most expensive).

The soft spring roll pieces, lightly sour, fragrant with medicinal herbs like chrysanthemum and basil, eaten with fig leaves, star fruit, green banana, dipped in spicy ginger sauce -- all blend together to create an unforgettable flavor. Each portion of goat spring rolls costs from 50,000 - 100,000 VND, very worth trying during your journey exploring this ancient capital land.

1.2. Snakehead fish salad

The chewy, soft texture of fish meat, combined with the nutty taste of glutinous rice, the sourness of dipping sauce and the spicy aftertaste of lemongrass, garlic, etc. will make you fall in love with this fresh salad from the ancient capital land. To catch this type of fish, fishermen must soak themselves for hours under thick mud layers, so snakehead fish is one of the quite expensive items, around 450,000 VND/kg. Especially snakehead fish meat is very clean, high in protein, with high nutritional value.

1.3. Kim son pork ball noodle soup

The kim son noodle soup broth is simmered for many hours, creating natural clarity with almost no fat foam, seasoned with shrimp paste and Kim Son fish sauce creating a very distinctive rich flavor. Kim Son people often use handmade fresh noodles, white and clear, smaller strands than regular noodles, soft to eat but still maintaining firmness. A bowl of noodles costs from 20,000 - 30,000 VND, very suitable as a breakfast dish to start your Ninh Binh exploration journey.

1.4. Fish braised with gao fruit

Fish braised with gao fruit is a rustic dish with distinctive Ninh Binh flavors, combining fresh fish and sour-sweet gao fruit. The fish is slowly braised for 2-3 hours until firm, golden, evenly absorbing spices. The sweet, nutty taste of fish blends with the mild sourness and light spiciness of gao fruit creating a rich, appealing dish. Though simple, fish braised with gao fruit always makes diners linger because of its distinctive unforgettable flavor.

1.5. Sticky rice with ant eggs

Ant egg sticky rice is a unique specialty of Ninh Binh, famous for its rare ingredient – brown ant eggs taken directly from the Nho Quan limestone mountain range. The fatty, round ant eggs are stir-fried with fried shallots, pork fat, salt, pepper then sprinkled on hot, fragrant sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves. The nutty, fatty taste of eggs and the cheerful popping sound when chewing create a strange and appealing culinary experience.

A plate of sticky rice costs from 50,000 - 100,000 VND and is usually available in in the 2nd lunar month. However, those who are allergic to pupae and bees should consider before trying.

2. 8 Ninh Binh specialties to eat immediately or buy as gifts

Besides the dishes mentioned above, here are suggestions for 8 Ninh Binh food specialties that can be both eaten immediately and bought as gifts for your reference:

2.1. Crispy rice

Ninh Binh Crispy Rice – a crispy gift from the ancient capital, has been associated with the cuisine here for more than 100 years. Thick, round pieces of rice are hand-pressed from delicious rice and fried until golden brown and crispy.

When eaten, drizzled with smooth heart and gizzard sauce, harmonizing fatty, salty-sweet subtle flavors, eaten with some pork floss on the surface -- all blend together creating a flavor both strange and familiar, making diners "addicted" from the first time. Each package costs from 35,000 - 70,000 VND, very ideal to enjoy on the road or bring home as gifts for relatives and friends.

2.2. Mountain snail

Ninh Binh mountain snails - a gift from the limestone mountains - are a specialty that only appear in large numbers during the rainy season from April to August every year, when the snails are plump, the meat is sweet and the most fragrant. This snail species lives hidden in deep crevices of rocks, has a long body, hard shell, smooth white meat, and is chewy and crunchy. What makes diners surprised is the faint herbal aroma, because the snails only eat forest leaves, including many precious medicinal leaves.

Snails are often steamed, stir-fried with lemongrass and chili or boiled with lemon salt, ginger fish sauce, served with herbs, and a little spicy Kim Son wine - all combined to create an unforgettable culinary experience. Each plate of snails costs from 50,000 - 120,000 VND, very worth trying when visiting the ancient capital.

2.3. Yen Mac sour pork roll

Yen Mac sour pork roll was created by the daughter of Minister Pham Than Duat, Pham Thi Thu, based on the Hue royal court sour pork roll of the Nguyen dynasty -- impressing with light, naturally mild sour taste and soft sweet taste of meat. Unlike Thanh Hoa or Central region rolls that are usually strongly fermented with rich taste, Yen Mac rolls use fresh lean meat (usually rump, tenderloin) finely chopped mixed with pork skin, pepper, garlic, wrapped in guava and banana leaves, fermented for 2-3 days.

When opening the leaves, the fragrant smell of guava leaves mixed with the slightly sour and spicy taste spreads out very attractively. Each spring roll is small and compact (200 - 300 grams), convenient to carry, priced from 40,000 - 50,000VND, very suitable as a specialty gift when visiting Ninh Binh.

2.4. Kim Son Wine

Kim Son wine -- "fermented aroma of the ancient capital land" -- is a renowned ninh binh food specialty, captivating many not only for its alcohol content but for its smooth wine taste, sweet aftertaste and gentle fragrance spreading on the tongue. The wine is made from golden flower glutinous rice -- a type of sticky, naturally fragrant glutinous rice -- combined with secret traditional Chinese medicine yeast containing over 36 Chinese herbs, plus clear cool well water from Kim Son land.

The cooking process is completely manual, elaborate from soaking, aging to distillation, creating a clear wine, when poured out, it is light and has a golden glow like honey. Kim Son wine is not as harsh as strong wine in the North, nor as sour as sticky rice wine in the Central region, but gently penetrates deeply, very suitable to sip with mountain goat specialties or sour sausage. Price is about 50,000 - 100,000VND/liter depending on type.

2.5. Nho Quan rice wine

Nho Quan reed wine is famous for its special brewing method of not distilling over fire. Starchy foods like potatoes and rice are fermented with wine yeast (yeast made from ironwood bark with galangal roots, ginger roots, guava leaves pounded smooth) creating rich spicy fragrant flavor, lightly sweet but no less warm.

Before drinking wine, you should take some boiled water to cool, or mineral water and pour into the wine jar, let sit for 10-15 minutes. Enjoying Nho Quan wine properly according to local people is using hollow bamboo stems, inserting straight into the wine jar and drinking directly to fully feel the wine taste.

2.6. Dried goat meat marinated with garlic

Dried goat meat marinated with garlic is a famous ninh binh food specialty with elaborate preparation from fresh goat thigh meat and spices. Fragrant goat meat, eye-catching with natural cockroach wing color, the more you chew the softer it gets, blending with the rich gentle aroma of garlic, promising to be a favorite dish for men when used as snacks or drinking appetizers.

You can enjoy dried goat meat marinated with garlic with chili or other spices for richer flavor. Especially dried goat meat is carefully packaged, you can buy as gifts for family and friends very conveniently.

2.7. Dong Giao Pineapple

Dong Giao pineapple is not only a ninh binh food specialty but also a product featured in the top 50 best fruits in Vietnam recognized by the Intellectual Property Department. This pineapple type has characteristics of short stems, many eyes but not deep, and has two main varieties: Queen and Cayen. Cayen type has bright yellow color, rich sweet taste, not fibrous at all. Queen type has darker straw yellow color, mild sweet taste, smaller pineapple fruits.

Note:

• To enjoy this specialty, you should go around March and July, which is the pineapple harvest time.
• Do not eat too much at once, this can easily cause nausea, hives, headaches, because the high vitamin C content makes the body unable to absorb it all.
• You should not eat green pineapple and the core of the pineapple, because this is where the harmful bromelain is concentrated.

2.8. Gia Vien shrimp paste

Coming to Gia Vien land, Ninh Binh, you can easily see shrimp paste in the daily meals of local people. Gia Vien shrimp paste has dark pink-brown color, thick consistency, attractively strong aroma. The salty-sweet flavor combined with natural fermentation smell and rice powder aroma creates a rustic, enticing dish. Especially this dish has long preservation time, the longer it's kept the more aromatic and flavorful the paste becomes.

You can use shrimp paste as a seasoning, flavoring other dishes, or steam it up, steam with rice then enjoy immediately which is also very delicious. Local people here often eat it as a dipping sauce type, putting in bowls, adding dried shallots, fried garlic then adding shrimp paste to steam, adding some ginger leaves.

Above are suggestions for 13+ ninh binh food specialties to eat immediately & buy as gifts everyone loves, you can refer to make your Ninh Binh exploration journey more complete. Whether you enjoy them on the spot or buy to take home, these specialties all carry the distinctive characteristics of the ancient capital land that cannot be found anywhere else.

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