‘Tra da’
A
king without a throne, ‘tra da’ is a drink found on any menu and most of the
time can be ordered spontaneously. ‘Tra da’ is both the name and the kind of
roadside stalls that sell the drink. The tea leaves that make ‘tra da’ come in
two varieties: fresh and dried, with the latter the preferred choice for its
dry bitterness, the same way Robusta is preferred over Arabica here.
Super-cheap and easy to prepare, a glass will set you back from VND2,000 -
VND5,000. However, a glass of ‘tra da’ is never the main reason for a trip out
onto the street. In Hanoi and most of northern Vietnam, ‘tra da’ stalls are a
place for cultural gatherings, where discussions are animated and life is at
its most vivid.
‘Nhan tran’
A
sweet after-taste is something many people love, and there is a drink that offers
exactly that sensation: ‘nhan tran’. ‘Nhan tran’ is a kind of herb that,
according to Asian medicine, reduces inner heat, a task necessary to maintain
for good health's sake. Those who find 'tra da' too bitter turn to ‘nhan tran’,
making it number two on the list of essential drinks here. However, the
sweetness that has gained the drink its market share doesn’t come from ‘nhan
tran’ itself but another herb called ‘cam thao’. Some may recall the same taste
from the sugar coated snack ‘o mai’, where grated ‘cam thao’ is added to keep
it dry. Together with ‘tra da’, ‘nhan tran’ also falls in the
off-menu-but-always-available category.
‘Nuoc voi’
‘Nuoc
voi’ (voi water) is a slightly dry drink with a yellowish color. The drink was
common in Vietnam’s countryside for quite some time before making its way to
big cities like Hanoi. ‘Nuoc voi’ earns its place off the menu for the same
reason as ‘nhan tran’: to reduce inner heat. The quirky taste of ‘nuoc voi’
seems to have caught on among city dwellers, and its availability and
popularity are on the rise.
By VnExpress