Notas del episodio
Vietnamese egg coffee, cà phê trứng, was created in late 1940s Hanoi by Nguyen Giang, founder of Giang Cafe, according to his son. During the First Indochina War fresh milk vanished and even condensed milk was rationed or too costly, so Giang whipped raw egg yolks with a little condensed milk and sugar to supply the fat and richness his customers expected. The recipe uses four ingredients: yolks, sugar, condensed milk, and robusta dripped through a metal phin, with the yolk mixture warmed gently in a water bath so it does not scramble.
The science explains why it works: lecithin in the yolk binds fat and water, and the yolk's lipids coat the palate before robusta's tannins can dry the mouth. Modern Hanoi cafes serve it in a small cup set in hot water or over a candle, with a spoon for eating the foam first, and electric mixers now build a tighter microfoam than the 10 to 15 minutes of hand whisking once required. Other cultures pair eggs and coffee for different reasons, from a Midwestern American church basement brew to Cuban rum spiked espresso.
- Robusta carries almost double the caffeine of arabica and plenty of astringent tannins.
- Cafes now fold in cocoa, white beans, matcha, or cheese, and serve the drink iced.
- So-called Swedish egg coffee, an American invention, boils grounds with a whole egg so the white traps particles and clarifies the pot.
- Cuba's café a la criolla combines hot espresso, raw yolk, sugar, and white rum.
- Sri Lanka has egg brandy coffee, Italy has uovo sbattuto con caffè, and Indonesia has kopi telur.