The
Vietnamese have an elegant but simple way of cooking. It is similar
to the Chinese style but uses less oil, more herbs and vegetables,
and is highly aromatic. It has been ruled variously by the Chinese
and French and has traded with the Portuguese and Indians; all four
cultures have left their marks on its cuisine - a unique cuisine
which has also been influenced by the miles of coastline and the
many rivers that traverse the country.
Vietnam can be divided into three regions. In the north, where Hanoi
is the capital, the food is less sophisticated than in the middle
region, which boasts the ancient capital city of Hue. The food of
south Vietnam is more refined still, particularly so in the now
renamed HO Chi Minh City, the former Saigon.
From China the Vietnamese adopted their love of noodles, the way of
cooking, the very healthy stir-fry methods. They discarded soya
sauce and invented their own substitute, the ubiquitous Nuoc Mam
sauce. Nuoc Mam is made from fermented fish, when added to food, it
does indeed become edible perfume.
Laos, Cambodia and Thailand have influenced the Vietnamese in their
use of herbs. No Vietnamese meal is complete without there being at
least two or three fresh herbs present, either as a garnish or in
their own right as part of the meal. The Vietnamese love to wrap up
their food in fresh lettuce leaves and to include one or two herbs
in the parcels; the favorite are coriander, mint, basil, dill and
fennel. The Indians and Portuguese brought spices and developed the
combinations that came to be known in the West as curries. The
French, who colonized Vietnam, forced the Vietnamese to be
inventive. It is ironic that in France today, some of these dishes -
such as steamed or stewed chicken's feet - now command high prices.
The Vietnamese used caramel and glaze to create original taste and
to preserve, but they discovered coffee from the French, together
with French bread. At home we would always mop up the juices with
hunks of the latter, torn off and passed around. This still holds
true today in Vietnam.
Collection of
Vietnamese
Food
Recipes:
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