May sound strange but in Hanoi coffee comes with an egg yolk. This all started with a milk shortage back in the 1940’s and so the ca phe trung, the Vietnamese egg coffee ,was launched.
The History Of The Egg Coffee
We are very used in the UK to the array of coffees on order from lattes, to flat whites, straight espressos and cappuccino. But in Vietnam there is also the egg coffee. It can be served both hot and cold. The hot version is served in a cup sitting in a dish of hot water. If it is too hot to drink then you use a spoon.
The history of the drink goes back to 1946 when milk was scarce in Vietnam so Mr Nguyen Giang who was working as a barman at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel In Hanoi used egg yolks to serve his customers coffee. Other ingredients added to the drink include coffee powder, condensed milk, butter and cheese but there is huge secrecy about the recipe.
Taste
Whilst we haven’t tasted it those that have say it tastes like vanilla and is quite sweet. The cold version of the drink is laden with ice and is taken more as a dessert apparently tasting like coffee ice cream.
It is served in Hanoi’s Old Quarter in the famous Giang café where the drink was invented. Other cafes in Vietnam have copied the drink but this is the place to order the egg coffee.
So when you feel overwhelmed with the choice on offer you can now add egg coffee to the list or you could try and make it at home.
Recipe for Egg Coffee
We aren’t privy to the original recipe but the starting point is good black coffee. Apparently the best coffee to use is Vietnamese made with a coffee filter. Then whisk together two egg yolks and 6 tablespoons of condensed milk with half a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Keep whisking until you get a thick fluffy consistency a bit like custard.
You then simply pour the egg milk mixture over the espresso and voila you have Vietnamese egg coffee!