Cold vermicelli with snails - a delicate gift from Hanoi people

Cold vermicelli with snails or vermicelli with snails dipping sauce is a dish that is closely associated with the lives of many Hanoians. Sometimes when traveling far away, they just want to rush home to have a bowl.

Hanoians love to eat vermicelli with snails, but slurping up steaming hot vermicelli with snails in the middle of a summer afternoon is too much. Perhaps that is why cold vermicelli with snails was born. When cold vermicelli with snails appeared in Hanoi or who came up with this dish, few people can answer. All we know is that for a long time, the cold vermicelli with snails stalls on street corners and sidewalks have been deeply ingrained in the subconscious of Hanoians. Even people who work far away from home, when they return to Hanoi, the first thing they do is to find and enjoy a bowl of vermicelli with snails.

Cold vermicelli with snails stalls in alleys and small lanes seem to be deeply imprinted in the subconscious of ancient Hanoians.

Cold vermicelli with snails is simple, plain but sophisticated like the way of life of the old Hanoians. This snack is simple in ingredients but sophisticated in selection and preparation. Not all types of snails can be used to make cold vermicelli with snails. Snails that are fishy and smelly when eaten cold are extremely difficult to eat. Snails must be the type that eats moss and moss that clings to the rocks so that the meat is not fishy and smelly, giving a crispy, fatty taste when enjoyed. Snails must be cleaned of dirt and slime, then steamed with vinegar distilled from Van village sticky rice to retain the sweetness and fat of the snails. The special and sophisticated thing about this rustic dish lies in the Van village vinegar, the white, plump snails and the small, white vermicelli from Phu Do village.

When eating, pick up a bowl of vermicelli and dip it in the cooled slightly sour broth, served with some raw vegetables or fresh chili slices, very delicious. The fatty and crispy snail pieces blend with the sour and spicy taste of the broth, the cool taste of vermicelli and raw vegetables, as if to dispel the heat of Hanoi's summer.

The snail broth is contained in a ceramic jar and ladled with a wooden ladle. Photo: emdep

Nowadays, to enjoy cold vermicelli with snails, people can go to Ms. Xuan's vermicelli with snails shop in O Quan Chuong, or the vermicelli with snails stall at the beginning of Bui Thi Xuan intersection, or the famous vermicelli with snails stall of Ms. Giang on Luong Ngoc Quyen street. All the stalls are equally delicious. The price of each bowl is usually from 30,000 to 40,000 VND.

Cold vermicelli with snails at O ​​Quan Chuong has long been famous. The shop is small and simple but always crowded with customers because of the delicious dipping sauce, the crispy white snails, and is associated with the childhood of many generations who were born and raised in Hanoi's Old Quarter. The vermicelli with snails at the intersection of Bui Thi Xuan and Tran Nhan Tong, although only having a few chairs and a stall, attracts customers because of the fatty snails. Many people like to stop by here because of the meticulousness and uniformity of the owner when choosing bowls, jars, and ladles, which look very attractive and delicious. The vermicelli with snails at Luong Ngoc Quyen Street is lost in the middle of a bustling street with bars and pubs, giving people the feeling of reminiscing about the soul and sophistication of Hanoi's Old Quarter amidst the hustle and bustle of today.

According to VNE