Vietnamese iced coffee

Cà phê sữa đá ready to be stirred, poured over ice, and enjoyed.

Cà phê sữa nóng

Vietnamese iced coffee, also known as Ca phe da or cafe da (Vietnamese: cà phê đá, literally "ice coffee") is a traditional Vietnamese coffee recipe.

"Vietnamese iced coffee with milk", also known as ca phe sua da or cà phê sữa đá It is also called ca phe nau da (Vietnamese: cà phê nâu đá, "iced brown coffee") in northern Vietnam.

At its simplest, Ca phe da is made with finely ground Vietnamese-grown dark roast coffee individually brewed with a small metal French drip filter (cà phê phin) into a cup containing about a quarter to a half as much sweetened condensed milk, stirred and poured over ice.

History

Coffee was introduced into Vietnam by French colonists in the late 19th century. Vietnam quickly became a strong exporter of coffee with many plantations in the central highlands. The beverage was adopted with regional variations. Because of limitations on the availability of fresh milk, the French and Vietnamese began to use sweetened condensed milk with a dark roast coffee.

Vietnamese-Americans introduced the practice of adding chicory to coffee, and many Americans today believe that all true Vietnamese coffee contains chicory ^[1]. One brand that uses chicory is Cafe du Monde, often cited as the coffee to use when brewing Vietnamese iced coffee. However, Cafe du Monde originated in New Orleans, and chicory coffee is an American phenomenon. In Vietnam, coffee is never served with chicory ^[2]. Thus, a "true" Vietnamese iced coffee will not contain chicory, but will instead be a Vietnamese brand such as Trung Nguyen or Indochine Coffee, both of which are headquartered in Vietnam and offer exclusively coffee grown in the central highlands.

See also

• Cuban espresso, similar sweetened coffee

References

1. ^ "How To Brew Coffee: Vietnamese (Included here as an example of a common mistake)". howtobrewcoffee.com. 2005. http://www.howtobrewcoffee.com/Vietnamese.htm. Retrieved 2011-06-26. 
2. ^ "About Vietnamese Coffee". Vietnamese Coffee Online. 2011. http://www.vietnamese-coffee.com/vietnamese_coffee_about.php. Retrieved 2011-06-26. 

External links

• History of Vietnamese Coffee and photographed step by step brewing at HungryHuy.com
• Illustrated instructions at wanderingspoon.com
• Vietnamese coffee recipe and notes at Coffeefaq.com
• How to make Vietnamese coffee at nextdestinationvietnam.com