02-07-2025
What is Hmong Food? All you need to know about why this cuisine is trending
Hmong cuisine is slowly getting attention beyond its immigrant roots. Once mostly confined to home kitchens and community gatherings, it's now stepping into the American culinary spotlight - particularly in Minneapolis. What makes this rise noteworthy is how little the outside world has known about it until recently. According to The New York Times, the Hmong people are a stateless indigenous group, originally from China.
Over centuries, many were forced to move across Asia, settling in parts of Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. After the Vietnam War, where thousands of Hmong fought alongside the United States, many sought refuge in America. Today, Minnesota is home to one of the largest Hmong communities in the country.
With their arrival came their food - a mix of influences from the regions they passed through, yet still distinct. There are similarities between Hmong cuisine and the food in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, the New York Times reported.
The recent buzz around Hmong food in Minneapolis owes much to Yia Vang, a local chef who introduced his culture's dishes through Union Hmong Kitchen. What began as a pop-up in the late 2010s is now a hit at the Minnesota State Fair and local stadiums.
His menu includes purple sticky rice, galabaos - the Hmong take on steamed buns - and banh mi-style sausages. These dishes combine tradition with accessibility. Their popularity grew in part due to Vang's rising profile in the media. He now hosts two TV series exploring Hmong identity and its place in America.
The aim isn't just food - it's about sharing a story. And it's one that resonates more widely now.
In the 1970s and '80s, many Hmong families arriving in the United States faced isolation and discrimination. 'But the community's evolving story, embodied by the warm reception, is a potent example of assimilation and acceptance,' said Lee Pao Xiong, founding director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University in St. Paul.
Back in 1979, only around 2,000 Hmong people lived in Minnesota. That number has now grown to roughly 100,000. The community's presence - once overlooked - is finally gaining visibility, not just through activism or education, but through food.
A1. The Hmong are a stateless ethnic group from China who migrated to Southeast Asia and later resettled in the US as refugees after the Vietnam War.
A2. It shares flavours with Thai, Lao, and Vietnamese cuisine, but has unique dishes like purple sticky rice and Hmong-style steamed buns.
A3. Minneapolis is a hotspot. Union Hmong Kitchen is a popular place, especially at local fairs and sports venues.
