Green rice flakes, paired with traditional drinks like lemon tea and egg coffee, offer a delightful culinary experience during Hanoi's autumn.
When mentioning green rice flakes (cốm), lovers of poetry and literature often immediately remember the essay "A Gift of Young Rice: Green Rice Flakes" taken from Thạch Lam's collection "Hanoi Thirty-Six Streets" (1943). Green rice flakes are an everyday, rustic gift, rich in traditional flavor.
Unlike the glutinous rice flakes from Northwest Vietnam, which are often made into dishes like sticky rice with green rice flakes and sticky rice with green rice flakes, Hanoi's glutinous rice flakes are transformed into a variety of rich dishes such as sticky rice with lotus seeds and mung beans, glutinous rice flake patties, stir-fried glutinous rice flakes, etc.
In charming little cafes near the Grand Cathedral or on familiar street corners, Hanoi's green rice flakes (cốm) are becoming an indispensable part of the menu. The combination of green rice flakes – a symbol of Hanoi's autumn – with glasses of lemon tea, kumquat tea, or egg coffee... offers a unique culinary experience, deeply traditional yet also novel for young people.
Many cafes and lemonade stands in Hanoi have quickly caught up with customer trends. These establishments are adding plain green rice flakes, sticky rice with green rice flakes, or stir-fried green rice flakes to their menus, which are characteristic of Hanoi's autumn season.
Ms. Huong, the owner of a small cafe near the Grand Cathedral, shared: "Initially, I simply thought about serving common drinks like lemon tea and coffee. But when I saw many customers buying sticky rice flakes from the street vendors nearby, I came up with the idea of adding them to the menu."
Many shops also sell sticky rice cakes, and even prepare drinks like sticky rice coconut smoothies, sticky rice coconut matcha, etc. These combinations not only enrich the menu but also make customers, especially young people, feel more interested.
Minh Ánh, a student who frequently visits cafes around the Grand Cathedral area, shared: “Every time after class, I invite my friends to sit here. The refreshing taste of lemon tea combined with sticky rice creates a very relaxing feeling.”
Phuong Linh, a regular at a cafe near the Grand Cathedral, added: “I really like the atmosphere here, it’s both classic and modern. Whenever we get together with friends, we usually choose sticky rice cakes and lemon tea to enjoy.”
Anh Quân, the owner of a coffee shop in the area, said: “Adding sticky rice cakes to the menu not only increases revenue but also adds cultural value to the shop. When we introduce it to customers, especially young people or tourists , they feel like they are enjoying a very special part of the city.”
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