Strange foods

Western culture considers that eating a dog is not good, but there will be no problem with other sorts of animals, as long as they are not called pets. However, for the vast majority of people on Earth, cultural values are very different. Some strange foods are considered a delicacy in some Asian cultures including China, Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Indeed, these food are very tasty and protein rich. May be you should try them some day if you are not vegetarian.

Dog

This is regarded as special meat and is usually consumed on special occasions or on the second half of the lunar month. There are a number of specialized restaurants in Nhat Tan street Hanoi that cater in all forms of Dog cuisine. Dog is regarded as a delicacy and is know for it warming feeling in the chest after eating.
Not for everyone, as you might not be able to get the image of your beloved ‘fluffy’ out of your head, but travellers we  met who tried it absolutely loved it.

Some kinds of snake dishes
Snakes are a common novelty and relished food. You can drink the wine as well as eat the flesh on several occasions. When I visit one of my Vietnamese friends, he caught a cobra outside his front door and shared it with me on evening. Actually, there is very little meat on a cobra, so the skin is eaten as well. In the village of Le Mat, which famous for its snake restaurants, I tried snake meat in a number of ways, including in soup (both the taste and texture was like crab meat) and spring rolls (tastes like chicken). Furthermore, snake blood is supposed to be healthy with many benefits as well as a natural form of Viagra. So what is its taste like? I was surprised that tasting a fried meat actually a bit like custard. There is no fat and extremely lean and tender. After trying snake, you will surely be back for more.

Lizards and frogs (best grilled) are standard fare in Phan Thiet Is delicious and similar in flavour to chicken. Frogs legs are eaten the world round. And there are a number of different ways of preparation throughout the world. Simply floured and fried in butter and onions with a side of chilli sauce was the best we had.

Although many or all of the above meats may not be your cup of tea, you must respect the culture of food in Vietnam however how far removed from your own food culture.  It is important to not judge people on what they eat as it is normal for them and a way of life.

I watched my friends eating trung vit lon for many months before trying it myself. These fertilized duck eggs are allowed to partially develop and then, they are hard-boiled. Crack the top off, suck out the juice and then spoon out the colorful morsels with pinches of pickled carrots, garlic, radish, turnip, some mint leaves, and a dash of salt and pepper.
Although many or all of the above meats may not be your cup of tea, you must respect the culture of food in Vietnam however how far removed from your own food culture.  It is important to not judge people on what they eat as it is normal for them and a way of life. 

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Giò Lụa – Vietnamese traditional food

On the Tet traditional tray of food according to Vietnamese culture, with traditional dishes such as Chung cake, chicken meat, spring rolls and so on, “giò lụa” is one of the dainty morsels. Today, when “giò lụa” almost become daily food and there are more various and attractive dishes on the tray, delicious dish of “giò lụa” cannot be missed...
There are many types of “giò” such as: giò lụa (pork-pie), giò bò (beep dumpling), giò bì (pork and skin paste), giò mỡ (lean and fat pork paste), giò xào (fried pie), etc. Each type has a particular taste but the most important thing to make “giò” dish really attractive is that the fragrance of banana leaves and fish sauce combined in the piece of “giò”.
Giò lụa (pork-pie)

Pork is chosen to make pork-pie must be lean, delicious and fresh meat. It is continuously ground until the meat is fine. These days, the meat is ground by machine, which makes the process more quickly and helps to save the maker’s strength.
However, the pork-pie is make in the traditional way remains the delicious flavor that is different from the one ground by machine, since the makers must use more strength so they take proper care of their product. Fish sauce for making pork-pie must also be tasty and fragrant. When being cut, the pie must has the color of ivory-white and the surface has some small holes, surely that the pie is so delicious!





INGREDIENTS
2 lbs fresh lean pork loin-- ground twice--ask your butcher (substituting other lean meats such as chicken or turkey may work--we just haven't tried)
1 cup water
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 bag of Alsa baking powder (try to use this brand--commonly found in Asian markets or other Single acting baking powder
2 tbsp tapioca flour
DIRECTIONS
1.

In mixing bowl, add the pork, fish sauce, and sugar and mix. In separate bowl add the water, tapioca flour, and baking powder and mix. It will foam and bubble up--that's normal.  Fold this into the pork mixture. It will be quite moist. Cover and allow to rest at least 6 hrs, but preferably over night in the fridge.



When ready to cook, grind the mixture one more time in small batches in your food processor. The texture should be very smooth--this is the consistency of gio song (stop here if you're just making gio song for bun moc). You can either wrap it up in banana leaf or in plastic wrap. While it's prettier and you get a slightly more fragrant giò lua with banana leaf, wrapping the gio lua in plastic wrap is much faster and easier.  We made both sausage and round shaped gio lua.  Remember that the cha lua will rise and expand a bit when cooked. Steam for about 20-25 minutes (will vary depending on size). 

*Cooks note: The amount of Alsa baking powder and tapioca flour will determine the cha lua's "bounciness" and chewiness.Other brands of single acting baking powder should work, although we have never tried and we have not tried using any double acting baking powder. .

                      
                                                     

In Vietnam, once try to taste these kinds of “giò lụa”, it is certaintly that you cannot forget the tasty flavor and fragrance of the dainty morsels...
 

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Enjoy Oc Sai Gon – special delicious food in Vietnam travel

It is easy for tourists in Vietnam travel to find snail eateries as they are everywhere in Saigon. It’s a favorite snack for both young and elderly Saigonese.

Especially, when you visit saigon,  you can find a special snail which looks like nail so people call them are oc mong tay (nail snail) .

Saigon has so many dishes made of mollusk and crustacean species that people call them simply oc (snail). And now oc is part of Saigonese life.
It is easy for tourists in Vietnam travel find snail eateries as they are everywhere in Saigon, from downtown to outlying areas, from big restaurants in main streets to small bistros off alleys or along the city’s many canals. Don’t think for a minute snail dishes are only for beer drinkers, as it is a favorite snack for both young and elderly Saigonese, from students to executive and clerical officers, from cyclo drivers to glamorous celebrities. If you are in Vietnam travel, shouldn’t forget to enjoy this delicious food
Snail eateries often open from late afternoon to midnight. When students finish classes or workers gather to eat and make some jokes with friends before they head home. Middle-aged men with drinking companions enjoy idle talk while women come to satisfy their eating pleasure and gossip with their buddies. Also, celebrities come to sample something from home instead of signature Western foods in luxury restaurants.
People call them snail restaurants but they serve many kinds of dishes to meet diverse options of diners. From many kinds of snails such as oc buou (middle-sized snail), oc huong (sweet snail), finger snail or oc mo (fat snail), diners can also enjoy clams, oysters, shrimps, crab and duck embryos. They are often made with lemon grass, lemon leaves, tamarind and garlic - boiled, grilled or steam fried to balance the flavor of the seafood and make them delicious.
In some snail stalls, revelers can also find other dishes made of pork, beef, rabbit, ostrich and many kinds of hotpots. Therefore, boiled oc buou with lemon leaves, fried oc mo with tamarind, grilled oyster with onion fat, steamed oc len with coconut juice, steamed clam with lemon grass, snail salad, fried crab or shrimp with chili salt, grilled chicken wings, legs or fried rau muong (water spinach) with garlic, seafood fried rice and fish or beef hotpot are some popular dishes for oc lovers.
The price depends on location and season. But the dishes often cost from VND30,000 to VND100,000 a dish.
Like other types of snails, oc mong tay (nail snail) is considered good for your health, so choosing oc mong tay fried with garlic is a rare treat.Each snail is six to ten centimeters long, with brown/yellow shells and milky meat inside; they live along coastlines or around islands and live on ephemeras.
To make the dish, you need to wash the snails first, put them into hot water briefly and take the snail meat out of the shells. After that, you slice garlic into two or three pieces and add them into the snail meat with pepper, chili and fish sauce in line with your taste.
Oc mong tay fried with garlic can be served with boiled rice or rice paper plus fish sauce mixed with chili and lemon juice. Sweet snail meat and the smell of fried garlic along with the sauce will make the dish unforgettable.

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