Bun cha

Bún chả (Vietnamese: [ɓǔn ca᷉ː]) is a Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and noodles, which is thought to have originated from Hanoi, Vietnam.^[1] Bún chả is served with grilled fatty pork (chả) over a plate of white rice noodles (bún) and herbs with a side dish of dipping sauce. The dish was described in 1959 by Vietnamese food writer Vu Bang (1913–1984), who described Hanoi as a town "transfixed by bún chả." Hanoi's first bún chả restaurant was on Gia Ngư, Hoàn Kiếm District, in Hanoi's Old Quarter.^[2][3][4]

Bún Chả

Bún Chả dish served in Hanoi.
Type	Noodle soup
Place of origin	Vietnam
Region or state	Hanoi
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Rice vermicelli, grilled pork, fresh herbs, nước chấm
Media: Bún Chả

U.S. President Barack Obama (left) and Chef Anthony Bourdain (right) dined at Bún cha Huong Lien Restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 2016

Bún chả originated from and remains very popular in Hanoi and throughout Vietnam. Although it is a common misconception among non-Vietnamese diners that bún chả is related to the Southern Vietnam dish of vermicelli and grilled skewered pork called bún thịt nướng, the two dishes are completely distinct in both culinary history and cultural perception.

The origin of the dish is unknown, but one story is that it was created by a grill master in the late 19th or early 20th century in Hanoi.^[5] The dish has French influences from the period of French colonialism, such as the techniques used to make the minced pork patties.^[5]

Bún Chả Hương Liên restaurant in Hanoi became famous after United States President Barack Obama dined there with Chef Anthony Bourdain while he was on his trip to Vietnam in May 2016.^[6]

Ingredients

Meat being grilled for bun cha

Bún chả is made up of many ingredients, which include:^[7]

1. Meat: minced pork shoulder to make meatballs, pork belly. The meat is skewered or put between grills, then grilled on top of charcoal.
2. Rice vermicelli
3. Dipping sauce: diluted fish sauce with sugar, [lime juice], vinegar, stock, crushed garlic, chilli, etc.
4. Pickled vegetables: green papaya (or carrots, onion, kohlrabi).
5. Fresh herbs: lettuce, Láng basil, rice paddy herb (ngổ), beansprout, Vietnamese balm (kinh giới).
6. Side dishes: crushed garlic, crushed chilli, vinegar, ground pepper, sliced limes.

Bún chả in Hanoi

Bún chả and crab spring rolls in Hàng Mành street, Hanoi

Bún chả is usually eaten at lunchtime. This is a very unique feature of the culinary culture of the capital city.^[8] However, nowadays there are also some shops that sell bún chả all day long, from morning to evening.

There are many variations of bún chả in Hanoi, and some shops have created their own styles by changing the preparation method or serving time, such as bún chả wrapped in banana leaves, bun cha wrapped in pork fat, bun cha skewered on bamboo sticks, or bun cha served with bone broth.^[9][10][11]

See also

• Bún thịt nướng
• Rice noodles
• Vietnamese noodles