Vietnam TravelTravel Special FeaturesVietnamese specialitiesSpring polls filled with crabmeat

Spring polls filled with crabmeat

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In a talk with the press, the cultural attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to Vietnam made a point of praising one of Vietnam's specialty dishes: Nem cua be, spring rolls filled with crabmeat and dipped in sauce with fresh herbs. In fact, the attaché is not alone in his admiration of this national dish, but foreigners all over leave Vietnam longing for the fresh, crisp taste of those unforgettable Nem cua.

No one knows exactly when nem (spring rolls) became a popular dish in Vietnam. In different localities, nem is prepared in different ways, forming different schools: Hanoi nem, Hue nem, Saigon nem, etc. As for nem cua (spring rolls filled with crab-meat) though, most Vietnamese immediately think of Hai Phong - the southern port city where many such seafood specialties have become a pride of Vietnamese gastronomy.

Many people wonder why Vietnam has a coastal line of over 3,000 km and an abundance of valuable marine products, and yet crab spring rolls remain famous only in Hai Phong. This question is reasonably explained by a caterer of crab spring rolls on Bui thi Xuan Street, Ha Noi, one of the capital's tastiest restaurants for the genuine and affordable Vietnamese cuisine. The first recognizable characteristic of Hai Phong Nem cua is that they are square in shape, while those in other localities a rectangular. The square nem cua require special rice sheets which are tough, crispy and fragrant. People in Hai Phong have a good technique in making rice sheets and red rice noodles, which are distinctive and famous.

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