If you have time to visit Hanoi and want to learn the culinary culture of this land, you do not need to enter the luxury restaurants, however, you can take the time to walk around the alleys, the location of many delicious foods carrying true nature of Hanoi. Once arriving in the capital, Hanoi, or whether you go far away from this land, you still can not forget the famous delicacies of the beloved land of Hanoi. In Hanoi, there are many foods which are not specialties, though, they have been imprinted in the minds of the Hanoians and become the cultural characteristics of the Hanoi’s people.
Noodle soup (Pho)
The top in the list of the most famous dishes of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam, in general, is Pho – noodle soup. This dish is so popular that you can see it from everywhere, from alleys to the main streets, from the sidewalk to the restaurant. In many places, you may catch sight of the crowd gathering around the plastic tables and chairs and enjoying a hot bowl of Pho. To make eaters feel the flavor of the dish is the secret of cookers. Smooth noodles are made from rice. The rice noodles with beef requires the soup cooked from beef bones; the soup of chicken rice noodles is made of chicken or pig bones. Each brand of Pho has its separate cooking recipe which is called the traditional secret, however, in general, a delicious bowl of Pho is still determined by the spices which make the soup sweet with the taste of bones or shrimp and suitable with the taste of the most prissy customers.
Rice noodles with snails (Bun oc)
The interesting feature of Hanoi snail rice noodles is the simple and diverse characteristics of it make people feel close to Hanoi people's lives. There are no strict rules in the processing of snail noodles and not any special requirements to follow, therefore, diners cab also easily meet the different types of snail rice noodle cooking, but the taste basically is not changed much. A dish often include rice noodles, tofu, some beef, crabmeat, and a place of vegetables. The raw materials always appear in the soup are tomato, rice vinegar, and chili. Hanoi snail rice noodles are so simple and affordable but very attractive with people. The taste is simple but not monotonous, very charming and creates an appetite which makes snail rice noodle become increasingly popular.
Kebab rice noodles (Bun cha)
With grilled meat, noodles and dipping sauce, Hanoi’s Bun cha is a combination of many spices which create a very harmonious overall, the tasty flavor showing the ingenuity and sophistication of Hanoians. Kebab includes pieces of meat or burgers mixing with spices and grilled on charcoal and eats with rice noodles, sweet and sour tasty sauce, as well as fresh vegetables. Bun cha is the most enduring vitality dish of Hanoi. The evidence is that no matter how remarkable the change is, though life today has more delicacy food, it is still too tempting food appearing throughout the streets, even in the deep lane, corner of the market. It exists as a part of the old Hanoi. With a simple culinary style, Bun cha has become the dish that everyone will remember the flavor, or for those visitors once come and enjoy, it also leaves an unforgettable impression.
Spring rolls
Also associated with Vietnam's culinary reputation is fried spring rolls. This is not only made for the Tet holiday, even in everyday meals, many families often fry spring rolls. Each place has its own ways, methods to make spring rolls, however, the most famous spring rolls is in Hanoi. This dish is sold everywhere from restaurants to the streets. Typically, spring rolls are often served with Bun cha, however, there are some places where people eat spring rolls separately and dip in sweet and sour sauce with the recipe that nowhere can compare. Spring rolls have always been the favorite of many foreign tourists because of the good and particular taste. Besides traditional dishes, Hanoians have created a lot of new and attractive types of spring rolls such as spring rolls with shrimp and fresh vegetables. However, spring rolls with crab made from fresh crab meat are still the number one.
Pillow cake (Banh goi)
Being a fine street food for travelers in Hanoi, the wrapper of the cake is kneaded softly made from wheat flour and water, which are then laminated into thin pieces. Cake filler is a combination of hashed lean meat, black mushrooms, finely chopped vermicelli, some places add quail eggs, add some sorts of vegetables such as carrots, turnips, ... with spices. When the pillow cake is fried, you surely will be attracted by the colorful yellow of the cake along with the brilliant green of fresh vegetables which are beautifully presented on the plate. Dipping the cake into the sauce, then take a bite and feel the crispy and fat taste of the wrapper; the delicious flavor of the filler inside; as well as the sweet and sour taste of the sauce. All are combined together to make the famous dish become unique. Perhaps because of this, many foreign tourists have really been conquered by this special taste.
Rolled rice noodles (Pho cuon)
As mentioning rice noodles, people immediately think of Hanoi’s Pho because Pho of this land is not only delicious with a special taste, but also extremely diverse in types. Besides rice noodles soup, fried noodles, rolled rice noodles are an ethereal dish that contributes to enriching the capital cuisine. To make rolled rice noodled delicious, the roll should be chewy and not friable so that it will look delicious and appealing when wrapping. The main components of rolled rice noodles are hot stir-fry beef with attractive fragrance. Beef is ordered neatly in pieces of noodles, then, the makers quickly pick fresh vegetables to put together. Rolled noodles ss the dish owning the harmony of nature and earth, because vegetables are the symbol of nature, and noodles made from rice seeds - the crystallization of the earth and sky. All are harmonious and work well together to create an not only attractive but extremely meaningful dish.
Steamed sticky rice
Everyone who lives in Hanoi has tasted the steamed sticky rice at least once. It can be said that steamed sticky rice of Hanoi has a separate flavor that does not coincide with steamed sticky rice in anywhere else. Each type of steamed sticky rice has a different flavor and is served with different foods. For example, white steamed sticky rice is served with salted shredded pork, caramelized pork, and eggs, aromatic and soft sausage; steamed momordica glutinous rice is sweet sticky rice served with fat egg rolls, and peanuts as well as green beans sticky rice are served with sesame and salted shredded pork.
Rice Noodle and Beef Soup of Hue (Bun bo Hue)
Another famous noodle dish is Bun bo hue which is derived from the ancient capital of Hue in the central of Vietnam. However, Hanoi’s people are also very preferred this dish. A delicious bowl of bun bo hue requires a lot of standards and has many components such as beef ribs, beef, pork knuckle, pork-pie..., moreover, the soup need to be charming, delicious but does not have a sensation of fed up, have a sweet and spicy taste. In addition, the fresh vegetables served with noodles should be finely chopped with various types of vegetables such as banana, basil, price, lettuce, spinach ... and jars of pickled peppers and chili satay are indispensable.
Rice noodles with fried tofu and shrimp paste (Bun dau mam tom)
Rice noodles with fried tofu and shrimp paste in Hanoi which has pieces of greasy tofu, silky slices of rice noodles, a bowl of shrimp paste with typical flavor... is the favorite dish many people in Hanoi. Like other popular dishes of the capital Hanoi, Bun dau mam tom is sold both in large streets and the small alleys. Although the composition of the food is simple, the raw materials must be selected very carefully. Just noodles, fried tofu, shrimp paste, herbs ... , however, Bun dau in Hanoi is tastier than elsewhere by soft and fragrant tofu, the taste of shrimp paste is suitable with the taste of people, not too salty. In addition to tofu, visitors can call more nuggets rolls, spring rolls, pork knuckle meat, ... This dish is often sold on the sidewalk of the street, cheap and delicious.
Boiled snails (Oc Luoc)
In autumn weather with the chilly wind, it will be a great memory to sit next to a hot bowl of boiled snails. The most interesting experience is when inhaling the scent of hot snails, dipping long and crispy snail meat into a bowl of spicy and aromatic sauce. Boiled snails have been an unforgettable memory of people who go far from home for a rustic but delicious food. The most special things about Hanoi boiled snails is the bowl of sauce, many stores also got a reputation from the bowl of sauce with its own special flavor. Hanoi people eat boiled snails with minced lemongrass, lime leaves and sometimes cucumber, jicama. As chilly winds blow, holding a snail up, inhaling the aroma, entering the mouth to feel the spicy taste you can see all the subtle and characterized flavor in place of the capital.
