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| Blood pudding is quite popular with Vietnamese people but not many international diners dare to eat it. Photo: Dan Tri |
Vietnamese cuisine consists of many delicious foods, enchanting food lovers from across the world. However, some of the nation’s more obscure dishes have cause a few foreigners to raise their eyebrows. Rich in tradition and flavor, these tasty dishes are only to the consumed by the strongest of stomaches.
Blood Pudding
To many foreign tourists, blood pudding sounds like a sinister dish but for Vietnamese, it is a specialty.
| To prepare this blood pudding dish, people use fresh blood of animals such as swans, ducks, goats, pigs, then add a little fish sauce or light salt water to avoid freezing, then mix well with minced meat. |
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Coconut Worms
Another famous specialty of Vietnam, a bowl of coconut worms is crawling with flavor.
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| Coconut worms – a delicious treat or gross punishment? Photo: NLD |
The round, greasy coconut worms squirm in zesty chili sauce. The first bites often give goosebumps to expats and Vietnamese alike.
Balut
For Vietnamese people, balut is a delicious, nutritious and healthy food. The dish consists of boiled, fertilized duck egg, served with salt, laksa leaves, ginger, and wormwood. A staple of street food culture, many struggle to keep down the flavored embryo.
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| Not many are brave enough to try balut. Photo: bungbuanno |
Shrimp Paste
In Vietnam, shrimp paste is an indispensable, traditional dish.
However, some foreigners might “run away” at the sight and smell of the purple paste. The main ingredients for processing shrimp paste are sea shrimp, salt and some enzymes in the intestines of shrimp to help the dish ferment and have a characteristic taste.
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| Shrimp paste. Photo: cleanipedia |
Durian
Durian is widely revered as the “King of Fruits” in the South-East Asian countries. Five or six times larger than the mango, it is a unique fruit with thick and rough skin, covered with sharp thorns. One of its own kinds, the durian tree is a tropical and seasonal fruit, its season lasts typically from June until August. Durian trees start bearing fruits after four or five years after being planted. The tree can grow up to 50 meters in height depending on the species, cited scootersaigon.
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| Durian. Photo: musangking |
Both foreigners and Vietnamese find its smell quite terrible. Yet if you can get past the powerful odor, you will love it. Just after cutting the edge of the outer sell gently, one will be fascinated by layers of bright yellow fruit shining like butter. It has the special flavor of well-kept honey and rich in nutrition. “Smell like hell, taste like heaven” is how locals describe the stinky fruit. In addition, it is an excellent source of energy and excellent for digestive health. It’s high in fat, calories, vitamin C, iron, copper, potassium, thiamin and folate. However, the durian’s stench keeps many from trying this peculiar fruit.
