At 17 Nguyễn Tất Thành street, inside Đặc sản Bình Định Bà Xê, strings of pork rolls bound into little 'broom' shapes with straw hang on a rack — this is tré Bình Định, a food Bình Định people consider essential for the Tết holiday.
State media specifically introduced its preparation and holiday customs
State outlet VnExpress International's English edition ran a dedicated feature titled 'Binh Dinh's fermented pork specialty: coming soon for Tet!' specifically introducing this dish's preparation and holiday customs, and multiple independent specialty retailers — Bà Xê, Mận Khoa, Phụng Nga, and others — cross-confirm several regular retail points within Quy Nhơn City.
Honest clarification: a Tết holiday food rather than an everyday snack, and its technique isn't unique to Bình Định either
This dish mixes pig ear, pig skin, and pork cheek with sesame, ginger, garlic, chili, and other seasonings, wraps them in guava leaf, binds them with straw, and ferments the whole thing for 3-4 days. It's a food Bình Định people consider essential for Tết rather than a ready-to-eat street snack, which is why this guide classifies it as a collector item. It has to be honestly clarified that similar fermented pork preparations are found across many parts of central Vietnam — Huế has its own tré too, with a slightly different technique — so this isn't unique to Quy Nhơn. That said, the straw-bound look and guava-leaf wrapping are the distinguishing traits of the Bình Định / Quy Nhơn version, consistently confirmed across multiple independent sources.
How to Eat It Authentically
- After 3-4 days of fermentation, its tangy kick pairs well with rice wine or works as an appetizer.
- An intact, tightly bound straw wrapping is a simple way to judge freshness.
- Easy to carry as a souvenir, it's a fitting choice for visiting Bình Định during the Tết holiday.
An Honest Look at This Dish's Standing
- This is a food Bình Định people consider essential for the Tết holiday, not an everyday street snack.
- Similar fermented pork preparations exist across central Vietnam, including Huế's own tré with a slightly different technique — not unique to Quy Nhơn.
- The straw binding and guava-leaf wrapping are the identifying traits of the Bình Định version, consistently confirmed across multiple independent sources.
Untie the straw binding on a Binh Dinh straw-wrapped fermented pork roll and its tangy scent rises up. This dish's true identity is closer to a Tết holiday gesture than a snack you'd grab off the street. Huế has its own version of tré too — what the straw and guava leaf wrap up here is Bình Định people's own taste of the holiday.