No survey of Hue culinary culture would be complete without mentioning the deep influence of Buddhism and vegetarianism. Hue has over 400 pagodas plus nearly 230 Buddhist houses of prayer. These serve the 200,000 active Buddhist followers who account for two-thirds of the city's population.
According to Buddhist beliefs, followers should eat vegetarian meals to show respect for life and to nurture the mind and clear it from immoral thoughts and bad moods. Vegetarian foods are especially popular during Buddhist festivals and on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month (the new and full moons, respectively). Nowadays, serious Buddhists, Hue residents, and visitors from outside Buddhism enjoy the city's vegetarian meals, which are delicious and healthy.
Vegetarian foods first became popular in Hue under the Nguyen Lords during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu (who ruled from 1691 to 1725) and his family became vegetarians. Cooks developed new dishes to satisfy the family's tastes. Preparing vegetarian food became an art, especially since the chefs needed more time and skill to make their dishes as attractive and delicious as non-vegetarian foods.
Few markets in Hue sell meat or fish during the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month or on National Buddhism Day (the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, usually falling in mid-May). On those days, most residents eat only rice, noodles, rice cakes, soybeans, vegetables, and fruit. Local residents also place vegetarian delicacies on their family altars in the belief that their ancestors will return from the Other World and enjoy these foods with them. Pagodas all over Hue also serve vegetarian food to Buddhist followers and tourists.