Hanoi Sizzles With Flavors at the Great American Barbeque Festival

  |   Feature
FAS Press
Under Secretary Alexis M. Taylor presenting at the Great American Barbeque Festival
Under Secretary Alexis M. Taylor presenting at the Great American Barbeque Festival

American barbeque is growing in popularity across the globe. Flavor-seeking food enthusiasts flock to dishes prepared with tasty barbeque seasonings. In September 2024, United Tastes held the Great American Barbeque Festival in Hanoi, Vietnam, in honor of the first anniversary of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Great American Barbeque meats from Iowa, NC, NE
Great American Barbeque meats from Iowa, NC, NE

The festival featured remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Alexis M. Taylor. Under Secretary Taylor stated that “Vietnam is a leading market and creates many new opportunities for U.S. agricultural and food products. Throughout 2023, bilateral trade between the two countries reached $8.3 billion in the agricultural and food sectors alone.” The festival overlapped with the USDA Agricultural Trade Mission to Vietnam, which Under Secretary Taylor also led from September 9-13.

Great American Barbeque Festival cooking demonstration featuring Sous Chef Bui Quang Thai, Deputy Director of Nebraska Department of Agriculture Hilary Maricle, and Sous Chef Vu Quoc Hoa.
Great American Barbeque Festival cooking demonstration featuring Sous Chef Bui Quang Thai, Deputy Director of Nebraska Department of Agriculture Hilary Maricle, and Sous Chef Vu Quoc Hoa.

The festival took place at the Melia Hanoi Hotel and kicked off with a cooking demonstration by Nebraska State Department of Agriculture Deputy Director Hilary Maricle. Deputy Director Maricle discussed the importance of Nebraska beef in her community and was pleased to share some of her cooking traditions with festival participants. 

The festival showcased a variety of culinary delights curated from ingredients from across the United States. United Tastes crafted the menu using a variety of quality U.S. ingredients, including U.S. pork, Nebraskan beef, U.S. chicken, Alaskan seafood, U.S. potatoes, Washington apples, U.S. blueberries, U.S. raisins, Texan barbeque sauces, fresh tofu and cooking oils made from U.S. soybeans, and Californian cheese, peaches, and nectarines. Festival participants experienced a bountiful buffet dinner menu that chefs from the Mosaico at Meliá Hanoi restaurant exclusively curated and prepared to highlight U.S. ingredients. “We are delighted and pleased to partner with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, organizing the Great American Barbeque Festival 2024. I’m excited to share the stories of American barbeque traditions and take Vietnamese diners on a culinary journey featuring innovative dishes made with high-quality and flavorful ingredients provided by USDA Cooperators,” said Santiago Cabre, General Manager of Melia Hanoi Hotel.

Great American Barbeque strudel made with apples from WA
Great American Barbeque strudel made with apples from WA
Great American Barbeque strudel made with apples from WA
Great American Barbeque strudel made with apples from WA

The Great American Barbeque Festival in Vietnam drew much attention, helped to bolster American ingredients, and facilitated opportunities to advance agricultural partnerships and trade opportunities between the United States and Vietnam. The festival provided a unique opportunity for members of the Vietnamese food and beverage industry to directly interact with representatives from the U.S. agricultural industry. “In 2022, the level of bilateral trade was more than 300 times greater than it was in 1995. This event is an example of the fruitful trade relationship between the United States and Vietnam, especially in agriculture. This is a vibrant, two-way trade relationship that benefits the producers, exporters, importers, and consumers of both our nations,” said U.S. Ambassador Knapper.

Exports of U.S. agricultural and related products to Vietnam totaled nearly $3.5 billion in 2023. Vietnam’s food processing, retail, and restaurant sectors rely heavily on U.S. tree nuts, fresh fruit, poultry, beef, and pork for their reliability, quality, and sustainability. The Great American Barbeque Festival has helped the United States strengthen and expand partnerships in Vietnam and amplified the quality and diversity of U.S. agricultural products.                                          

USDA and partners from across the United States, including the U.S. Meat Export Federation, U.S. Pork, U.S. Beef, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, U.S. Potatoes, U.S. Blueberries, the Raisin Administrative Committee, the Washington Apple Commission, the California Milk Advisory Board, the U.S. Soybean Export Council, California Fresh Fruits Association, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, and Nebraska Department of Agriculture collaborated to sponsor the festival.

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