Gio Lua (Boiled Lean Pork Pie)

Pork may be processed in various ways: pie, sausage, jambow, roast pork, etc. Giò lụa is a typically Vietnamese specialty.

Giò lụa is available in all corners of Viet Nam but the best may be that of Hà Nội made by the inhabitants of ước Lễ village (former Hà Đông province), Mr. Liu, a man reputed for his making of giò lụa, once told writer Nguyễn Tuân: “Not any pork can be used for giò lụa. Frozen pork can’t be pounded. Meat must be fresh.

Giò Lụa

When cutting the pork, you must be careful not to cut your finger. The pounding requires hard work. If meat is pounded in an irregular manner, it will be spoiled. In the past, there was no electric fan. When I pounded meat, my face, my body sweated but I continually pounded in spite of mosquito bites and other distractions.

When I was tired, I looked at my grandchildren who would pour a cup of alcohol into my mouth... It’s not necessary to pound with great strength but continuously and regularly’ When I hear the beating of giò, I can guess whether it is spoiled or not. I don’t know how long ago my ancestors taught us this trade but at the temple dedicated to the cult of our ancestors there are always two wooden pestles, red lacquered and gilded about lm long. To be frank, I think, if a man does not know how to pound meat regularly, he is like a builder not knowing how to pour concrete...”

Gỉò Lụa (Boiled Lean Pork Pie)

After the selection and pounding of the meat, it is necessary to have banana leaves for packing.
The outside cover is made of old banana leaves and the inside cover, young yellowish banana leaves. The flavor of giò lụa comes from those of properly pounded meat and of fresh banana leaves after they are boiled. Giò lụa can be eaten separately or with rice, vermicelli or used in the preparation of other foods.