Hanoi delicacies come to the streets.

Me Tri sticky rice flakes – a simple yet popular autumn treat at food stalls during the Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival 2024. Photo: Khanh Huy

Amidst the fragrant milkwood trees, the fresh green rice flakes are carried on the shoulders of the women from Me Tri village. The aroma of the fragrant, chewy rice flakes, with their fresh glutinous rice flavor, awakens the taste buds of anyone who sets foot in Hanoi . The fresh rice flakes are carefully wrapped in lotus leaves and skillfully tied with golden straw, recreating the nostalgic memories of generations of Hanoi residents.

To this day, Hanoians still maintain the tradition of eating bananas dipped in fresh green rice flakes (also known as "com moc"). The bananas used for dipping must be Cavendish bananas, with yellow peels that are ripe like quail eggs, for the fruit to be sweet and fragrant. The traditional aroma of green rice flakes combined with the taste of Cavendish bananas has become a "specialty" when autumn arrives.

Along with the delicacies of Hanoi's 36 streets, young rice flakes (cốm) are transformed into many delicious and unique dishes such as: cốm patties, cốm sausages, cốm cakes, cốm sticky rice, cốm stir-fried with coconut... Each dish has its own distinct flavor. For example, young coconut stir-fried cốm is made from carefully selected young glutinous rice flakes, grains still milky, and is enjoyed with rich, creamy coconut milk.

Over time, stir-fried young coconut flakes have become a signature dish of Hanoi's autumn cuisine. Many who like a change of pace choose green rice flake patties or green rice flake sticky rice.

Hanoi has two famous rice flake villages that have become established brands: Me Tri rice flakes and Lang Vong rice flakes. The aroma of rice flakes permeates all four seasons, but early autumn is when the rice flakes have the richest flavor and most fragrant aroma. For a long time, Me Tri and Lang Vong rice flakes have become indispensable gifts in souvenir baskets for visitors from afar. This year, at the Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival 2024 and the "Hanoi Days in Ho Chi Minh City" program, Hanoi's rice flake stalls are always in high demand.

Among the typical Hanoi delicacies, besides Me Tri and Lang Vong rice flakes, there are also Thanh Tri rice rolls, Pho bread, Huong Mai pho rolls, peanut candy and sticky rice cakes from Duong Lam ancient village, banh cha (pork sausage), and preserved fruits… displayed at the Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival stalls (Tran Nhan Tong pedestrian street, Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi), which are often sold out due to high demand.

The "Hanoi Culinary Quintessence" space (Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), within the framework of the "Hanoi Days in Ho Chi Minh City" program, featuring 30 famous and characteristic Hanoi dishes, attracted a large number of locals and tourists to enjoy.

Observations after 3 days show that at the Thanh Tri rice roll shop, approximately 1,000 servings are sold daily; Hanoi pho and Ba Ngoai snail noodle soup are about 1,200 bowls/day; Phung spring rolls are about 500 packages; sticky rice cakes and steamed rice cakes are about 800 servings/day; Van Dinh duck sausage is about 300kg/day; La Vong fish cake is 200 servings/day; bun cha is 500 servings; and Hanoi draft beer, specialty candied fruits, and sticky rice flakes are sold in large quantities each day.

In the heart of Nguyen Hue pedestrian street – the most vibrant and bustling street in Ho Chi Minh City – the impressive revenue figures from these events have affirmed the appeal of Hanoi cuisine to the people of Ho Chi Minh City. This enhances the culinary experience, stimulates tourism related to local food and souvenirs, and helps Hanoi's specialties reach a wider audience.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/thuc-qua-ha-noi-xuong-pho.html