Chả Da Huế (Hue Pork and Pork-Skin Sausage)

Chả da Huế is a peppery pork roll with chewy pork skin, often served in thin slices. Learn what it tastes like and how to try it in Hue.

Chả da is a Hue variation of Vietnamese pork sausage (chả). Ground pork is seasoned with salt, pepper, fish sauce and shallot, then mixed with thin strips of boiled pork skin, or sometimes pig's ear, pounded until the mixture binds, wrapped tightly in banana leaf and steamed. Unwrapped, it is pale pink and firm; the pieces of skin give it a distinctive springy, lightly crunchy texture and the black pepper gives it a warm, fragrant finish. It is eaten cold or at room temperature, thinly sliced with herbs and a dip of salt, pepper and lime, tucked into bánh ướt rice sheets, or laid on top of bún bò Huế and other noodle bowls. Hue households traditionally make it themselves for family memorial days, and it is a key ingredient in a festive salad with pork belly, grilled squid, green papaya and peanuts. Because it keeps well chilled in its banana-leaf wrapping, chả da is also sold at markets and specialty shops as an edible souvenir from Hue.