During a recent trip to Da Nang, Matt, a tourist from the US, spent time exploring not only famous landmarks and historical sites but also the city’s vibrant street food scene.

Among the dishes he tried, oc hut quickly stood out. The humble local snack impressed him from its unique eating style to its delicious taste.

In Da Nang, oc hut, also known as stir-fried snails, is a popular snack often enjoyed casually during gatherings with friends or as a light afternoon bite. The dish is typically made with different types of snails, both large and small, such as rice snails and apple snails.

The name of the dish comes from its distinctive way of eating.

Instead of using a toothpick to pull the meat out, as is common with snail dishes in some other regions, diners suck the snail directly from its shell. This allows them to enjoy not only the meat but also the flavorful sauce inside.

Matt said he tried oc hut at a sidewalk eatery on Su Van Hanh Street in Ngu Hanh Son ward, Da Nang.

The restaurant has a fairly spacious and open layout, allowing him to comfortably watch the cooking process.

“It looks really appetizing. There are both small and large snails. The aroma is wonderful,” Matt exclaimed as a steaming plate of oc hut was served.

The American visitor expressed excitement not only about the dish’s flavor but also about the way it is prepared and eaten.

According to his observation, one portion of oc hut at the eatery was quite generous and came with grilled rice paper and a separate dipping sauce.

The dish was prepared with a moderate level of spiciness, matching the taste preferences of many locals.

“The flavor is really good. The snail meat is chewy like clams, and the head part is pleasantly crunchy,” he described.

Matt also appeared quite skillful as he first used a small pick to loosen the snail meat before slowly sipping the sauce from inside the shell.

He noted that the sauce was carefully prepared, delivering a rich taste without being overly spicy.

The American tourist admitted that smaller snails were harder to eat than the larger ones, though their flavors were not significantly different.

When locals showed him how to eat the smaller snails, he nodded enthusiastically, pleased to gain new experience and better understand the dish’s unusual name.

“With the small snails, you just suck them out. But I actually prefer the bigger ones.

I also like holding the shell, scooping up the sauce and bringing it to my mouth,” Matt joked.

He later tried dipping crispy grilled rice paper into the sauce from the snail dish and was pleasantly surprised by the unique and delicious flavor combination.

Thao Trinh