David Hoffmann (from the US) is a YouTube content creator with a personal channel that has attracted more than 1.3 million followers. He regularly posts videos about his travel experiences in each country he has the opportunity to visit.

A few months ago, David came to Vietnam and chose Hanoi as his first stop to experience street food.

In addition to popular dishes such as beef pho, banh mi, bun cha, banh cuon, etc., he also had the opportunity to discover some strange dishes that not all foreign visitors dare to try in Hanoi, such as pig intestines, snake meat, balut, and chicken stewed in beer cans.

Among them, there is one dish that made the American YouTuber quite impressed and surprised when he knew the ingredients inside. That is frog sausage.

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David tried the strange frog sausage at a sidewalk restaurant in Hanoi's Old Quarter.

The place where David experienced the frog sausage dish was a famous sidewalk beer shop located on Dao Duy Tu street (Hoan Kiem district).

At first, when he did not know the ingredients in the dish, he felt the delicious, strange flavor. When the Vietnamese tour guide revealed that the dish was made from frog meat, the Western tourist was stunned for a few seconds.

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The frog sausage that Western guests enjoyed is considered one of the unique specialties in the capital, delicious as a snack or eaten with noodles and herbs.

He even asked back, “Really?” in surprise.

“It’s hard to believe that this dish is made from frogs, but the taste is really delicious and rich. I taste the spiciness of the chili, the aroma of the vegetables, and some soft, crunchy bones inside,” David described.

The American YouTuber also revealed that he likes to dip the frog patties in fish sauce and sip them with beer. He repeatedly praised this dish as delicious, worth enjoying when visiting the capital, and suitable for sitting on the sidewalk drinking beer and watching the street.

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American YouTuber ate several pieces of frog sausage in one go, raising his fingers to show satisfaction.

Frog sausage is one of the unique specialties in Hanoi. This dish originated from Khuong Thuong village (now Khuong Thuong ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi) and has become a delicious dish with its own "brand" of the people here.

Nowadays, frog sausage is known and spread more widely, appearing on the menu of many restaurants and pubs throughout Hanoi.

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Frog sausage is a famous specialty in Khuong Thuong village (now Khuong Thuong ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi). Photo: Tuan Hong frog sausage

Ms. Hong - owner of a facility specializing in providing frog sausage specialties on Ton That Tung Street (Khuong Thuong Ward) said she has been involved in her family's profession for nearly 30 years.

“My grandparents have been making frog sausages here since my grandparents lived here. Later, I followed my family’s profession and have maintained it for nearly 30 years,” Ms. Hong shared.

According to Ms. Hong, to make delicious and authentic frog sausage, the input ingredients must be fresh and of guaranteed quality. This dish is sold year-round by her family, so depending on the season, fresh frogs are imported from several regions across the country.

“I buy fresh frogs from different regions. For example, in the cold season, I get frogs from the South, and in the summer, I prefer to choose frogs from the North,” she revealed.

Frog sausage is elaborately prepared and is loved by both locals and tourists from near and far. Photo: Thanh Hang frog sausage

This woman also said that the fresh frogs she bought would be classified according to size. She used the small frogs to make patties, the medium sized frogs were fried until crispy, and the large frogs were coated in flour and processed into attractive dishes.

With frog sausage, after being pre-processed and washed, the frog is pureed, seasoned according to a special recipe, then rolled into small, flat pieces, then dropped into a pan of boiling oil and fried until golden brown on both sides.

Ms. Hong said that frog sausages are often served with lemon leaves and herbs, and dipping sauce with a variety of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors. On average, she makes 10kg of frog sausages a day, selling for 400,000 VND/kg.

Photo: Davidsbeenhere

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