Banh Trang Nuong is one of the newest, most popular street foods in ${bigcity_Ho_Chi_Minh_City:"Ho Chi Minh City"} today. Called grilled dry pancake in English, it was originally created in Dalat and somehow made its way through the street stores of not only one area in the city but several: Notre Dame Cathedral in Han Tuyen Street and Nguyen Hue Street in District 1, just to name a few.
 
One of the veteran cooks of the famous street snacks said banh trang nuong has been around for about two years now, but it was only last year when it became known among the locals and tourists alike. The demand for the local delicacy becomes even more dramatic as pavement food stalls are banned in the Notre Dame area, making customers even crave more for the street cuisine.
 
Banh Trang Nuong is one proof of how Dalat cooking is receptive to foreign food culture. Dalat was founded by the French during the colonial times. As such, the local residents have adapted butter, baguette bread, and jam into their traditional cooking. At only VND7,000 per piece, or equivalent to a motorbike parking fee at fancy establishments in District 1, a banh trang nuong snack is a treat as it is an experience in itself.
 
A banh trang nuong is composed of small dry shrimp, a quail egg, ground pork, and chili paste all mixed together by a French influence: butter. The ingredients are thinly spread over a round dry pancake. When the cake is almost completely grilled, it is then folded in half. Banh trang nuong takes only an amazing one minute to cook, very timely since food stalls are not allowed near the church area, vendors having to race against time and the police when they come to arrest them. As such, a banh trang nuong business is usually run by a family, one or two preparing and cooking the snack, while the others serve as a lookout. If or when the police do come, the members of the family pack what they can of their business and scramble in different directions in an attempt to confuse and lose the authorities.
 
Although banh trang nuong is fairly new to the place having had its origin in Dalat, it reflects traditional Vietnamese cooking with its contrast in texture and color. The different textures found in the dish are: crunchy (dry pancake); spicy (chili sauce); fatty (butter); salty and dry (small dried shrimp); and fresh (shallots and quail eggs). The varying colors on the other hand are: green (shallot); yellow (butter and quail egg); red (chili paste); and sand color (pancake).
 
One can savor the sweet smell of baked butter in the banh trang nuong along with the other ingredients. It is perfect as a late afternoon snack, especially after a rain. The young generation is the biggest fan of the street cuisine. But whether you’re a local or a tourist, experiencing a piece of banh trang nuong in the streets of Vietnam is an experience and memory in itself you’ll treasure for a long time.