On Nguyen Huu Huan Street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, tourists and locals alike can find the cafe tucked away in a narrow alleyway where the original version of egg coffee was born – Giang Coffee.
The creator of this unique coffee is Mr. Nguyen Van Giang, who used to work as a bartender for the 5-star Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel during the French colonial period (from 1930-1945). Originating from making very expensive cappuccino drinks with coffee, cream, milk cream... for foreign guests, Mr. Giang wondered if Vietnam had a lot of fresh and delicious eggs, so from coffee, eggs, sugar, milk, could he make a delicious, attractive drink, still affordable for Vietnamese people? And after many experiments, around 1946, the idea was successful.
Nowadays, egg coffee has become quite popular, appearing on the menu of many shops in Hanoi. Although the taste is slightly different in each place, they all have the same basic recipe. Egg yolks, white sugar, butter, and milk are beaten until the mixture turns a light yellow color. Then, the hot filter coffee is slowly poured in. The coffee quickly sinks to the bottom, while the whipped egg layer floats on top, floating and giving off an attractive aroma. The drink is kept warm in a bowl of hot water to avoid it getting fishy.
“The whipped egg doesn’t taste like egg, but more like vanilla. And when you scoop a small spoonful of coffee at the bottom of the cup, the egg falls in, surprising you with its light but unmistakable taste. If you choose to drink it cold, it tastes like a dessert, like coffee ice cream” – Theguardian describes egg coffee.
