Walking along the streets of Hanoi during the day will
likely let you encounter a bun cha’s place, where the appealing smoky smell of
grilling pork can spread to the other side of the street. One thing you should
know that bun cha is one of the most famous dishes in Hanoi, one that every
traveler must try on their Vietnam trips.
A bowl of bun cha often contains of four main elements. The
first one is bun or rice vermicelli. Then it is cha or fatty pork. Usually,
there are two types of cha, sliced pork like bacon but thicker and shorter and
minced pork. In a traditional way, cha is grilled by traditional charcoal oven.
The third element is fresh herbs which often contain lettuce, Vietnamese basil,
oregano, perilla and bean sprouts. The fourth and final element of is the one
which can separate a good and a not-so-good bowl of bun cha, and that is nuoc
cham or Vietnamese dipping sauce.
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| Four elements of bun cha |
With all the ingredients ready, making bun cha is not a
difficult task. Nuoc cham is made of vinegar, fish sauce, water, melting sugar,
and some chopped garlic and onions while cha is put on grill after being
well-marinated. To eat bun cha, cha and nuoc cham are usually put in a same
bowl. Afterwards, bun and fresh herbs are submerged into the bowl. However,
some families eat bun cha by pouring some nuoc cham on a bowl of bun then add
with cha and herbs.
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| Cha or fatty pork being grilled on charcoal oven |
Bun cha is so popular that it is considered a part of the
Hanoi culture. The smell of burning fatty pork, the sweetness of hot nuoc cham
and especially the feeling of a family gathering around the charcoal oven have
all occupy a perpetual place in the memory of Hanoians away from home. It would
be a flaw traveling to Vietnam without sampling bun cha.
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