Hanoi Specialty – Gio Cha Uoc Le

Gio cha (Vietnamese sausage) is a familiar dish of Vietnamese people, and for many people, the most famous is the brand of Gio cha Uoc Le in Hanoi. So, what made the famous of the name Gio Cha Uoc Le? Let’s discover the interesting features of Gio Cha Uoc Le through the article as follow.

1. When has Gio Cha Uoc Le been offered?

Uoc Le is the name of a village in Tan Uoc commune, Thanh Oai district, Hanoi. This is an ancient village with a long-standing village gate, on the gate, there is a signboard from the year of the reign of Tu Duc King, 1851. According to the historical records in the village, the actual village gate was born before that time, with nearly 500 years old and so is the tradition of making gio cha.

It was during the period of 1527 – 1592, during the Mac dynasty, that a woman who was the servant of the king coming from Uoc Le village brought the secret of making gio cha from the palace to the villagers and built the village gate. The village of Uoc Le also had a career in the garment, but over time, it was lost, only the profession of making gio cha remained until now.

Because the consumption of Gio Cha in urban areas and populated areas, the villagers of Uoc Le leave their home to make gio cha. Not only coming to the cities in the country, but Uoc Le villagers also come to go abroad with making gio cha. As a result, the name of Gio Cha Uoc Le is more popular and this dish has gradually become one of the famous Hanoi traditional food.

2. Elaborately craft making gio cha

Uoc Le people make many kinds of gio cha such as gio lua (lean pork paste), cha bi (containing shredded pork skin), cha bo (beef sausag with herbs), cha ran (the entire deep-fried sausage), nem chua (fermented pork meat), cha que (sausage with seasoned with powdered cinnamon) … but the most famous of them are gio lua and cha que. In order to gain such fame, Uoc Le people must spend a lot of effort. First is the selection of meat. People must choose delicious, healthy, flexible and bright red pork.

In the past, the Uoc Le people pounded fresh meat with their hands until the flesh did not stick to the pestle, and the meat reaches the standard of plastic consistency. Today, the pounding meat is made with mechanical grinding. However, the Uoc Le people still have their own secret, that is, the temperature in the blender must not be greater than the temperature of the pork meat, thus, it ensures the quality of pork.

Next, cha gio must be wrapped with banana leaves rather than aluminium tubes. Banana leaves will help gio cha smell good and keep the fragrance longer. Leaves used for wrapping also needs meticulousness because the inside is a young banana leaf, the next layer is an ordinary banana leaf and the outer one is an old banana leaf. Besides, spice adding is also very important. The ingredients of fish sauce, sugar, salt, honey … must have a balance to blend with the meat to create a delicious dish.

Today, the sound of pestle and bustle in the Uoc Le village is no longer the same as the imagination of many people. Tourists on Hanoi street food can come to Uoc Le village to visit an ancient village and learn about the profession of making gio cha and enjoy the famous Hanoi specialty in some households that still hold traditional jobs here. Most of the people of the village have already come to the places of business.

Along with other famous dishes such as Com Vong village, Hang Duong o mai, gio cha Uoc Le has created a diverse and typical culinary picture for Hanoi, while bringing interesting culinary experiences for Vietnam food tours.

For more information/details: food walking tour, Vietnam cooking class