Vietnamese Tiết Canh (Raw Blood Pudding)

Tiết Canh is a traditional Vietnamese dish which consists of fresh animal blood, organ meat, fish sauce and herbs. The blood is mixed with the fish sauce and the mixture is left to coagulate where it attains a firm but still delicate texture.

The blood is then topped with cooked organ meat, raw onions, peanuts and fresh herbs. It is usually served with strong rice wine.

Preparation starts off with draining the blood from a freshly slaughtered animal. The organ meat is either mixed into the blood before coagulation or added after as a topping. The purpose of the fish sauce is to delay coagulation because blood becomes firm quickly. The fresh herbs used include basil, mint or cilantro.

Tiết Canh is a general name for this fresh blood dish. The name changes slightly to specify the type of blood used. Tiết Canh Vit is made with duck blood, Tiết Canh De is made with goat blood while Tiết Canh Ga uses chicken blood.

A rare variation which can be found in the Southern Vietnamese city of Vung Tau is Tiết Canh Tôm Hùm which is made with lobster blood.

Origin & Significance

Tiết Canh has a long-standing place in Vietnamese cuisine. It is believed to have nutritional properties such the ability to regulate body temperature and treat anemia. It is prepared for special occasions, particularly weddings where the animal slaughter is sometimes a part of the celebrations.

Still, it’s a very controversial dish because it can be unsafe to eat. Pigs’ blood in particular is concerning because it contains bacteria which, when ingested can cause serious illness and even death. It is one of the strangest dishes eaten around the world.