The Must-Try Traditional Foods In Sapa

Fresh, delicate, locally-grown ingredients are words that best describe Sapa cuisine. Most dishes feature meat and fish, but there are always plenty of vegetables and vegetarian options. Aside from taking in the breathtaking scenery, don't forget to indulge in Sapa food and savor the following highly recommended meals.

Con Sui (Dry Pho)

Con Sui is a dish that uses flattened noodles like Pho but is not eaten with broth but with a thick, fragrant sauce. A bowl of Con Sui will have noodles, crispy fried potatoes, pork bellies, and boiled eggs. Diners can add pepper and chili for flavor and eat it with some fragrant mint to fully enjoy this special traditional dish of Sapa. To eat ‘Con Sui’, people can pour the sauce into a bowl of rice noodles in addition. Con Sui is also served with fresh vegetables harvested in the area.

Con Sui is a dish that uses flattened noodles like Pho but is not eaten with broth but with a thick, fragrant sauce. Photo: BestPrice Travel

Ong Ha’s Con Sui restaurant is a familiar place for experienced travelers and local people in Sapa because the noodles are kneaded and rolled by hand, creating a very unique flavor.

Pho Chua (Sour Pho)

Sour Pho is a mixed pho dish that is prepared quite simply, which includes noodles, char siu meat, pickles, mango, roasted peanuts, herbs, and fried onion.

This specialty is cooked in a very complicated yet interesting way. To savor a bowl of Sour Pho, diners have to eat it slowly to enjoy both its taste and smell.

Sour Pho is a mixed pho dish that is prepared quite simply, which includes noodles, char siu meat, pickles, mango, roasted peanuts, herbs, and fried onion. Photo: Dien may XANH

The dish has two components: the dried ingredients and the soup. The first dried ingredient is the noodle. Unlike other kinds of Pho noodles, it has a relatively small size and tastes really chewy. Potatoes are another important ingredient; they are sliced and fried in boiling oil until they become crispy. The others are pig’s liver and pork side, which are also fried. The last dried ingredient is roast duck, but the cook usually gets it from famous restaurants in That Khe to save time.

The second component of Sour Pho, the soup, is made solely from garlic, vinegar, and sugar. However, the core element of the soup is the juice inside the roast duck, which has both the buttery flavor of duck fat and the fragrance of the spices added in the roasting process.

All of these ingredients are prepared beforehand by the cook. Whenever an order comes, he will mix them up in such a skillful way that maintains a perfect ratio between soup and noodles so that the ingredients absorb all the spice. The mixing process, though the last step, can be considered as the most important step.

Thang Co

Known as a unique Sapa food with a special strong smell, Thang Co is a traditional dish of the Hmong ethnic people on Sapa and it’s believed to have first appeared more than 200 years ago.

Known as a unique Sapa food with a special strong smell, Thang Co is a traditional dish of the Hmong ethnic people on Sapa. Photo: BestPrice Travel

Thang co means soup cooked in a big pan. The main ingredients are meat, bones, and internal organs of the horse, pork, and buffalo combined with more than 20 botanical herbs including cardamom, citronella, ginger, star aniseed, and cinnamon twig.

Thang Co used to be served only for special occasions in the region or cultural festivals of the Hmong people. However, as tourism is developing so fast, Thang Co has become one of the must-try foods in Sapa. Food lovers can find this dish anywhere in Sapa.

Banh Hat De (Chestnut Cake)

The sweet and aromatic taste has made Sa Pa chestnut cake one of the favorite dishes in recent years. The outer shell of the cake is made from wheat flour. The filling is pureed chestnuts, mixed with a little sugar, and then fried until golden brown in an oil pan.

The sweet and aromatic taste has made Sa Pa chestnut cake one of the favorite dishes in recent years. Photo: Hawonkoo

The cake can be stored for two to three days after processing. Asking the seller to vacuum it will make it last longer if tourists decide to take it home. They can store it for seven to twenty days in the refrigerator or freezer at home. Take it out to thaw before serving, and then preheat the oven or air fryer for 3-5 minutes.

Ga Den (Black Chicken)

Black chicken (Ga Den) is a breed of chicken in the Northwest that is raised by the Mong people. Black chickens are quite small, only about 300g - 1kg, the skin, meat, and bones are all black. Black chicken meat is usually firm, delicious, chewy, and not only has high nutritional value but is also considered a remedy in Oriental Medicine.

This dish is very nutritious for your health. Photo: BestPrice Travel

Black chicken can be cooked into many dishes through frying, boiling, and steaming. However, grilled black chicken marinated with honey is the most popular choice. After it soaks in honey, the chicken will be grilled directly on hot charcoal, the sweetness of the meat and the honey combine, this Sapa food gives you an unforgettable experience.

Thit Trau Gac Bep (Dried Buffalo Meat)

The most popular dried meat in Sapa is buffalo meat, which can be found in the local market. This unique Sapa food is very popular among tourists, the locals call this “Thit Trau Gac Bep” since they use their special way of preserving the food.

The most popular dried meat in Sapa is buffalo meat, which can be found in the local market. Photo: Dien may XANH

“Thit Trau Gac Bep” means buffalo meat hanging above the kitchen’s firewood, and it will be hung for a long period of time, which is usually a year to 18 months. The Black Thai ethnic people marinate with salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger to create a very unique flavor. The meat then was hung in their kitchens for about eight months to a year.

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