According to Travelandleisure, among countless drinks that have made Vietnamese coffee famous, egg coffee still maintains a special position in the hearts of Hanoians as well as international tourists.
Not only attractive by its unique flavor, this drink is also an interesting cut of history, creativity and adaptability of Vietnamese people.
You can find egg coffee in many places, even outside of Vietnam," shared Tran Duc Thang, the main brewer at Capella Hanoi.
But the real experience is associated with a very unique feeling of Hanoi. That is when you sit by a crowded street, listening to the sound of the city waking up and slowly enjoying a cup of hot coffee. It is the contrast between the hustle and bustle of life and that quiet moment that creates the attraction of Hanoi coffee.
The story of Vietnamese coffee began in the late 19th century, when the French brought Arabica coffee variety to the North during the colonial period. From a foreign crop, coffee quickly took root and became a part of urban life.
The first coffee shops appeared in Hanoi in the 1880s, initially serving French officials and the upper class, before gradually becoming a familiar meeting point for local people.
As coffee culture developed, Vietnamese people also found ways to turn it into their own. Due to the scarcity of fresh milk, condensed milk with sugar was widely used, creating iced milk coffee - a drink that today has become a symbol of Vietnamese coffee in the world.
In Hanoi, that shortage also led to a more famous creation. In 1946, in the context of milk scarcity, Mr. Nguyen Van Giang was said to have come up with the idea of fluffing egg yolks with sugar and condensed milk to replace them.
A golden, soft cream layer is applied to the thick coffee background, creating a surprisingly fatty and balanced flavor.
Many international diners compare egg coffee to "liquid tiramisu" because of its soft, smooth, mildly sweet but still rich flavor.
According to chef Hoang Tung, founder of T.U. N. G Dining restaurant, the value of egg coffee is not only in the flavor. "It symbolizes the resilience and creativity of Vietnamese people. In difficult circumstances, people not only find ways to replace ingredients but also create something completely new, strong enough to become a cultural symbol," the chef said.
Today, although modern devices have replaced most of the manual egg batting stage, the original spirit and flavor of this drink are still preserved.
Visitors can easily find egg coffee at many old cafes in Hanoi, from historical addresses like Cafe Giang to modern spaces with a new breath of the city.
Interestingly, even the way to enjoy egg coffee does not have a fixed rule. Some people like to take a sip of coffee first to feel the contrast between bitterness and sweetness.
Some people choose to enjoy the first layer of egg cream to fully feel the smoothness before stirring well. In any way, the most important thing is still to spend time feeling each layer of flavor.
In a constantly moving city like Hanoi, egg coffee is not simply a drink. It is a story about the ability to turn difficulties into creativity and about the art of enjoying simple moments amidst the bustling pace of the thousand-year-old city.
