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| Pretty petals: White lotus flowers blooming at a lake in Huế. VNS Photo Nguyễn Văn Sum |
THỪA THIÊN-HUẾ — Over the weekend, the city of Huế held an event celebrating the lotus flower as part of its festive days.
Organised by the local tourism department, the Lotus Festival gathered hotels from around the city to present dishes cooked with lotus seeds, plants, and roots. Visitors were welcomed with a wide range of food during the 3-day event that ended yesterday.
The dishes included cơm sen, which is rice cooked with lotus seeds and ground shrimp and wrapped in lotus leaves to serve; gỏi sen, a salad dish made with sliced lotus plant, shrimp and herbs; and chè sen, which is a sweet soup dish cooked with lotus seeds.
All were made in the Huế style, which emphasises the appearance of food and the harmony of yin-yang elements in each dish.
The event also offered lotus tea, which is tea steeped in the natural fragrance of lotus flowers before brewing.
Along with stands showcasing cuisine, the department also presented stands displaying paper lotus flowers made by local artisans, paintings depicting lotus, lotus conical hats and traditional áo dài printed or embroidered with lotus patterns.
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| Fragrant dish: Com sen, rice cooked with lotus seeds and ground shrimp, showcased at the event. VNS Photo Phước Bửu |
Lê Thị Thanh Nhàn, an artisan who participated in the festival, said the event was significant to introduce visitors to the uses of lotus, besides its fame as the national flower of Việt Nam. “This is a great chance to showcase how much locals love lotus, as well as the importance of the lotus in local life,” she said.
In the afternoons and evenings, organisers offered guests a chance to take part in fork games and free music and dance performances, as well as a fashion show of áo dài.
Trần Thị Hoàng Lan, a visitor, said the event was an opportunity to learn more about local art and cuisine, as she was not a native but now lives in the city with her husband.
According to the Tourism Department, the event is part of a plan to turn Huế into the ‘festival city’ of Việt Nam.
Now is the perfect time for lotus flowers in the city. Lotus is blooming in many lakes and ponds in the city and outlying areas. This is also the harvesting season when growers get lotus seeds to supply the market.
Those missing the chance to taste lotus dishes at the event can find the food at Hương Giang, Century, Mường Thanh or Mondial hotels in the city. — VNS
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