''Chả lụa'' (() or ''giò lụa'' () is the most common type of sausage in

Vietnamese cuisine Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages of Vietnam. Meals feature a combination of five fundamental tastes ( vi, ngũ vị, links=no, label=none): sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy. The distinctive nature of each dish refle ...

, made of pork and traditionally wrapped in banana leaves.

Production and consumption

Traditionally, ''chả lụa'' is made of lean pork, potato starch, garlic, ground black pepper, and fish sauce. The pork has to be pounded into a paste; it cannot be chopped or ground, as the meat would still be fibrous, dry, and crumbly. Near the end of the pounding period, a few spoonfuls of fish paste are added to the meat for flavor. Salt, black pepper, and sugar can also be added. The meat is now called ''giò sống'', meaning "raw sausage", and can also be used in other dishes than sausages. The mixture is then wrapped tightly in banana leaves into a cylindrical shape and boiled. If the banana leaf is not wrapped tightly and water leaks inside while it is being boiled, the sausage will spoil quickly if kept at room temperature. The sausage has to be submerged vertically into boiling water; a 1 kg sausage typically takes an hour to cook. Other variants include: * ''chả bì'' - containing shredded pork skin along with typical ''chả lụa'' ingredients, then steamed * ''chả bò'' - beef sausage with herbs * ''chả chiên'' - where the entire sausage is deep-fried (instead of steamed, omitting the banana leaf wrap) * ''chả

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

'' - contains whole black peppercorns and more garlic and then steamed * ''chả quế'' - sausage seasoned with powdered cinnamon, then fried, another variety of ''chả chiên''. In Northern Vietnam, ''chả'' almost exclusively refers to this variant Correctly made ''chả lụa'' can be stored at room temperature for about one week. Refrigerated storage is preferable; it will keep for 3 to 4 weeks. Many Vietnamese started immigrating to the United States in the mid-1970s. Banana leaves are not readily available in the US, so Vietnamese chefs made ''chả lụa'' wrapped in

aluminum foil Aluminium foil (or aluminum foil in North American English; often informally called tin foil) is aluminium prepared in thin metal leaves with a thickness less than ; thinner gauges down to are also commonly used. Standard household foil is typ ...

. Where banana leaves are available a small strip of leaf is used for flavor, while still using aluminum foil to shape the sausage. The sausage is normally sliced and eaten with ''

bánh cuốn ''Bánh cuốn'' (, ''rolled sheets'') is a Vietnamese dish originating from Northern Vietnam. In Vietnamese cuisine ''Bánh cuốn'' is made from a thin, wide sheet of fermented rice batter filled with a mixture of cooked seasoned ground p ...

'', ''

bánh mì In Vietnamese cuisine, or banh mi (, ; , "bread") is a short baguette with thin, crisp crust and soft, airy texture. It is often split lengthwise and filled with savory ingredients like a submarine sandwich and served as a meal, called ''bá ...

'', or ''

xôi ''Xôi'' () is a savory (''mặn'') or sweet (''ngọt'') Vietnamese dish made from glutinous rice and other ingredients. Xôi is a common on-the-go breakfast item, and a popular snack nationwide. Although it is often served as a breakfast or de ...

'', or braised in fish sauce and black pepper with other meat dishes. If fried, it is called ''chả chiên''. ''Chả lụa,'' also known as ''mu yo'' ( th, หมูยอ, ) in Thai and ( lo, ຫມູຍໍ, ) in Lao, the term is a combination of the word ''mu'', meaning pork, and the word '' giò'' which means ham or sausage in Vietnamese.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gio lua Vietnamese sausages Pork dishes Vietnamese beef dishes Vietnamese cuisine Vietnamese pork dishes