In the process of its development, Vietnamese culture has been much influenced by many other cultures and an art form of distinctively Vietnamese - the cuisine - has taken shape. Vietnamese cooking represents an amalgamation of influences creating a truly unique flavor...
With almost ten centuries under Chinese dynasties' reign and its proximity to the north, Vietnamese cooking was strongly influenced by China, including the use of chopsticks, the art of stir-frying, and the consumption of noodles and bean curd. Chinese introduction of Buddhism into Vietnam gave birth to a vegetarian cuisine that is remarkably varied and extensive.
Laos, Cambodia and Thailand have radically changed the flavor of Vietnamese cooking by introducing the Indian curries and spices. The Vietnamese have modified the use of the spices. A spicy dish of Vietnam is usually milder than that of Thailand, even though both cuisines use fish sauce, shrimp paste, lemon grass, mint, basil, chili peppers, and curry as key ingredients.
The French played a crucial role in the development of Vietnamese cuisine. They introduced techniques of sauteing and developed different types of Western edible products. The French also implanted a love of café au lait and gateaux. Vietnamese soups, which stemmed from French influence, have their own taste with the use of various noodles. Different regions of Vietnam have their own ways of making soup specialties.
Even with all these influences, Vietnamese cuisine has retained a distinctive character through Vietnamese cooks' creative adaptation of these foreign influences. The Vietnamese are skilled at combining complementary ingredients to form new flavors with contrasting textures. The food is healthy, thanks to its reliance on fresh vegetables, stir-frying, and use of vegetable oil rather than butter.
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. Unlike northern Thai and Japanese palates, the Vietnamese prefer long-grain rice to the glutinous short grain varieties. Most meals include soup, stir-fry, and another main dish. Often, a light salad with shrimp or beef and vegetables will accompany the meal. The Vietnamese use a small-size bowl and a pair of chopsticks at meals.
Vietnam's 3,200-km coastline has long made fish and other seafood substantial to the people's diets. Other foodstuffs such as pork, beef, and chicken are also common, but in smaller quantity.
Vegetables are widely consumed, especially in the south, to redress the balance between animal meat and fresh ingredients. The distinct flavors of Vietnamese food come primarily from mint leaves, coriander, lemon grass, shrimp and 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 flavourings. Marinated meat or fish is quickly sauted in the wok and served with an array of raw vegetables and herbs. All this may be eaten together with rice or rolled in a rice-paper wrapper or lettuce leaf (or both), then dipped into a pungent sauce.
Most meals in Vietnam are sold in resturants or at small shops and stalls that line the maze of streets and alleys.
Pho, more or less the national dish of Vietnam, is a kind of rice noodle soups often used at breakfast. However, it can be eaten at anytime of the day and many Vietnamese have pho more than once a day. To cook pho, northern people often uses beef whereas southern people prefer chicken, but both versions use rich flavorings of chili peppers, coriander and mint.
Cha gio is also a popular food. Stuffed with spicy bits of seafood and vegetables, the small crispy mixture is wrapped with rice paper and fried deep in boiling cooking oil. The dish is served with the ubiquitous fish sauce.
Fish sauce (nuoc mam) is an indispensable ingredient in everyday meals of the Vietnamese. It is processed from distilled and fermented seafish and used as seasoning. A small jar of fish sauce is plalced on every Vietnamese kitchin table.
The cuisine of Vietnam possesses a wide variety of dishes. The Vietnamese people are proud of their tasty food with delightfully complex flavors. To foreigners, Vietnamese specialties are really worth exploring, trying, and enjoying...
(Source : VDC Media)
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