Would you try this Vietnamese sandworm pancake? | Fork The System
The treasured seasonal treat is seen as ‘gross’ by some.
Cha ruoi, or sandworm pancake, is a well-known seasonal delicacy in northern Vietnam.
As the sandworms make their autumn crawl to the surface, they are swept up by waiting farmers.
First rinsed in hot water to remove their tentacles, the worms are mixed with dill, pork, citrus rinds, eggs and spices before being fried up into a hearty patty.
Since this dish is eaten only in the fall, cha ruoi is a treat for most locals. It is also a dish that has commonly been labelled as “gross” or “disgusting” by foreigners unused to the idea of wiggling worms as their meal.
But who gets to decide if a food is gross? Join HyoJin Park and Joi Lee in Hanoi, Vietnam, as they taste cha ruoi for the first time and ask what it means to assign judgements to certain foods.