Story By: Lisa-Maria Goertz, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
A group of coal miners who have been making a unique black bread resembling coal have taken their local town by storm.
The bread is being sold at the Town of Ha Long, not far from the popular tourist attraction and UNESCO natural heritage site Ha Long Bay in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh.
According to news outlet vnexpress, the bread has been made by a group of coal miners from Vietnam’s biggest coal reserve, Quang Ninh.
The men reportedly made the unique-looking bread from squid ink and bamboo charcoal in homage to their hometown.
The three men, Khac Tuan, Nguyen Quyet and Pham Tuyen reportedly said they made the dish to reflect the essence of the area which is nicknamed “land of coal mines”.
Tuan told vnexpress: “We first thought about banh mi (traditional Vietnamese sandwich) that could be served to coal miners between shifts, wanting to also introduce the speciality of squid cakes to tourists. From there, black bread became a reality.”
The three men report testing many different types of inks as each species of squid produces a different colour of ink.
After selecting a squid from Ha Long Bay, the men said they tested various dough mixtures until finally coming up with the winning mixture.
The shop says they sell anywhere between 300-700 portions every day which cost between 25,000-45,000 VND (0.8 – 1.5 GBP) depending on the filling, which includes minced fried squid with hot sauce.
Bahn Mi is a popular Vietnamese sandwich with baguette like bread which is served with a wide range of savoury ingredients.
One customer called Phuong Thao told vnexpress: “The sauce is quite delicious, the bread is crispy. Both pickles and filling are served in the right amounts, eating one is enough to make you full for breakfast. The price is a bit high compared to usual.”
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