Strange dish that looks like a black bun is sold all over the street, curious customers try it

CHINA - Shaped like a tangled bun, this snack sold on the streets of Chengdu is causing a stir on social media.

Fa Cai or Fat Choy is a type of blue-green algae that has long been used as a familiar ingredient in Chinese cuisine. It mainly grows in arid desert areas. Blue-green algae are preserved by drying immediately after harvesting.

The viral dish is actually made from dried blue-green algae. Photo: SCMP

Because of its dark, thin filamentous form, this seaweed is also commonly known as "hair vegetable", used as vermicelli noodles eaten with broths or soups.

This dish often appears on New Year's Eve to pray for luck and prosperity because Fat Choy sounds like the word "prosperity" in Chinese. Currently, dried blue-green algae is becoming a popular snack and causing a fever throughout the billion-people country because of its novel preparation method.

During the recent Halloween, many content creators took advantage of the trend of eating 'hair vegetable' to attract views. Photo: OC

Accordingly, instead of making noodles, some street food stalls in Chengdu grill clumps of blue-green algae on the stove, then add a little spicy sauce to create flavor. In terms of appearance, diners look like they are chewing a bunch of black hair. Most people after trying this dish rate it as not too terrible.

The trend of eating grilled stones has caused controversy before. Photo: SCMP

Last year, the trend of eating grilled stone also became a fever on Chinese social networks. This dish originated from a street food stall in Nanchang, Jiangxi province.

Stir-fried gravel with chili and garlic is becoming a popular street food at a night market in Hunan province, China.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mon-ky-la-trong-nhu-bui-toc-den-duoc-ban-khap-pho-khach-to-mo-an-thu-2339366.html