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VIETNAM - Hill tribes and coastal towns
Vietnam
Overview - Cuisine
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Cuisine
Vietnam is a long, skinny country stretching from Hanoi
and the Red River in the north to Ho Chi Minh City and
the fertile Mekong River Delta in the south. These ends
are connected by a mountainous spine that runs along
the South China Sea. On the west, Vietnam is bordered
by Laos and Cambodia, and to the north, lies China.
The food of the north, through stir-fries and noodle-based
soups, shows the heavy influence of Chinese cooking.
The mountainous middle section, with the former Imperial
capitol, Hué, at its centre, has an abundance
of fresh produce.
It was in Hué that royal chefs developed the
more elaborate dishes of Vietnamese cuisine. The southern
region is tropical, sustaining rice paddies, coconut
groves, and many more spices than the north. As in the
rest of Southeast Asia, there is an ancient layer of
Indian cultural presence, most obviously evidenced in
the religion of Buddhism (which, during the first millennium
C.E., made its way along the Silk Road from India to
East Asia). French colonization of Vietnam, which began
in the 16th century and ended in the middle of the 20th
century, also had a deep influence on Vietnamese cooking.
The cuisine balances all these influences. One street
vendor may sell beef noodle soup, pho bo, from his cart.
The next vendor over might sell baguette smeared with
one of the many ground pork concoctions. Both may be
complemented by the ubiquitous native fish sauce (nuoc
nam) or dipping sauce (nuoc cham -- made from fish sauce,
water, sugar, and lime juice and seasoned with chillis
and garlic).
As in many of the neighboring countries, a Vietnamese
meal is rarely divided into courses. All the food is
served at once and shared from common dishes. Meals
are anchored by a starch, usually rice and sometimes
noodles (especially in the north where grain is more
prevalent than rice). The Vietnamese prefer long-grain
rice to the glutinous short grain varieties preferred
by northern Thai and Japanese palates. Most meals include
a soup, a stir-fry, and another main dish. Often, a
light salad with shrimp or beef and vegetables will
accompany the meal. Like the Chinese, the Vietnamese
eat from a bowl with chopsticks.
Vietnamese cooking is generally not as rich or heavy
as the coconut milk curries, of, say, Thailand or India.
Having all that coastline means that fish and seafood
are central to the diet. Other meats -- pork, beef,
and chicken -- are also common, but in smaller quantities.
Vegetables are often left raw, especially in the south,
to act as a fresh contrast to the spicy cooked meat.
The distinct flavours of Vietnamese food come primarily
from: mint leaves, coriander, lemon grass, shrimp, fish
sauces (nuoc nam and nuoc cham), star anise, ginger,
black pepper, garlic, basil, rice vinegar, sugar, and
green onions. Many flavourful marinades are made by
some combination of these flavorings. Marinated meat
or fish is quickly sautéed in the wok and served
with an array of raw vegetables and herbs. All this
may be eaten over rice or rolled in a rice-paper wrapper
or lettuce leaf (or both), then dipped into a pungent
sauce.
Roll Your Own
The other do-it-yourself element in many Vietnamese
meals comes with roll-your-own rice-paper rolls. For
example, grilled chunks of lemongrass beef (thit bo
nuong), grilled meatballs (nem nuong), or freshly steamed
shrimp (tom) all come served with a salad plate together
with a stack of moist rice papers (banh trang) or fresh
rice wrappers (banh uot). You lay a wrapper on your
open palm, put in a piece or two of meat, several strips
of pickled radish, perhaps some herbs, sprouts, or rice
vermicelli, then tuck over the ends and roll it up.
You now have your own unique fresh spring roll that
can be dipped in nuoc cham or nuoc leo, or eaten simply
on its own.
Beverages
Freshly pressed sugarcane juice is available from vendors
in the afternoon and evening. Vietnamese beer is good;
try Saigon Beer or 333. Vietnam grows its own tea in
the region around Dalat. Tea is consumed morning to
night; it's served before or after but never during
a meal. For another caffeine hit, try Vietnamese coffee
black and hot or iced with condensed milk, gafe suda.
The coffee is made in individual slow-drip filters and
can be very strong.
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