Western tourists were breathless when they first smelled shrimp paste and ate vermicelli with fried tofu.

Sonny Side smelled the shrimp paste and felt "suffocated" because the smell was too strong, but when he added kumquat, sugar, and fresh chili for dipping... he nodded in approval.

Two Westerners mix fish sauce to dip vermicelli with fermented shrimp paste like locals. Video: cut from clip

Sonny Side is an American vlogger who owns the YouTube channel Best Ever Food Review Show with nearly 11 million followers. Recently, Sonny Side and Vietnamese-American chef Calvin Bui together experienced the dishes ranked “worst” in Vietnam on the Taste Atlas website. The dish that left the most impression and also the “smelliest” for the two Vietnamese food enthusiasts was bun dau mam tom.

Bun Dau Mam Tom is in the top 5 "worst" Vietnamese dishes on Taste Atlas' list, making American YouTuber Sonny Side curious to find out. Photo cut from video

The dish includes many ingredients such as sausage, spring rolls, pork, fried tofu, fresh vermicelli, herbs, cucumbers... "But shrimp paste is the ingredient that makes this dish the most "challenging" for diners", commented the American YouTuber. Bun dau mam tom is a rustic dish originating from Hanoi, northern Vietnam. This is often a snack, used as a cheap light meal, loved by many people and has become popular in big cities. Nowadays, not only Vietnamese people but also foreign tourists want to try this "smelly" specialty.

Bun dau mam tom, a "strong-smelling" street food but still famous in Vietnam. Photo cut from video

Before eating vermicelli with shrimp paste, Sonny and Calvin visited a seafood wholesale market to see how shrimp paste is made. The two visited a shrimp paste vendor, using fresh shrimp mixed with salt to ferment for 7 months to create the finished product. "Calvin, we are at the place where many people find the raw material unpleasant, try to smell it closely." Sonny took a whiff from the concentrated shrimp paste and was immediately choked by the smell. He described the smell of shrimp paste as making him feel like he had asthma and then got cured immediately. Meanwhile, Calvin smelled it and exclaimed, "It's so fragrant, this is the strongest fermented smell I know, it's amazing." Immediately tasting a spoonful of freshly salted shrimp paste, Sonny and Calvin agreed that the flavor of shrimp paste was very distinctive, salty, astringent, rich and shockingly strong, like "just putting an atomic bomb exploding in your mouth." However, the way to enjoy shrimp paste is not to eat it directly, so two diners went to a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City to try bun dau mam tom right away. Before eating, the shrimp paste must be prepared to taste by adding sugar, fresh kumquat juice, fresh chili slices and stirring the mixture until fluffy. "The flavor is much better, with enough spicy, sour, salty and sweet flavors, very appealing," Calvin described. When dipping the pork, fried tofu and fresh vermicelli into the newly mixed shrimp paste to sip, the two Western guests nodded and continuously praised it as delicious. Sonny even said that eating bun dau mam tom made him feel happy. What he likes most is that despite the many ingredients, everything is in harmony thanks to the shrimp paste. Calvin believes that shrimp paste is a synthesis of all types of dipping sauces because it is delicious with anything.

Sonny Side is passionate about finding unique dishes while traveling. Photo: cut from clip

Sonny is curious as to why shrimp paste is so underrated. Calvin says: "When you first hear the names of Asian fermented foods, everyone feels scared, but after a long time living and eating those "smelly" foods in Vietnam, you will see that it's okay, not that bad, and if you have the chance, try it once."

Laodong.vn

Source: https://dulich.laodong.vn/am-thuc/khach-tay-nhu-tat-tho-khi-lan-dau-ngui-mam-tom-an-bun-dau-1408387.html