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9/9/2023

I recently ate supper with some Vietnamese friends and had something new! Pig's ear. It was the first food I've had here in Vietnam that was not “delicious”. I would put it in the “good, and I'll definitely eat it again” category, but not the “delicious and I can't wait to eat it again” category.

That said, it isn't the pig's ear, necessarily, that was “good". After all, a pig's ear, like a human's ear, is made up cartilage with some fat (suet) so pretty bland. Here in Vietnam it is boiled, cut into bite-sized portions, and then mixed with finely-ground rice flour. You then dip it in a sauce, or you wrap it in rice paper (or some green veggie leaf) with other ingredients. Much like ”Rocky Mountain oysters" (beef testicles) pig's ears are crunchy in texture, but it is the breading or the seasoning that gives it the “taste” - well, in my opinion anyway. Did you know many countries, including the US, eat pig's ear?

I think the only part of a pig I have left to eat, is the nose. Pig's snout is a common dish here and I will eventually have it. I'll let you know my thoughts when I do.