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Regional foods in Vietnam are many and varied.
The south has been influenced by the culinary
arts of India, China and France and can be
rather spicy. In the south, the food is always
fresh, containing little or no fats and very
little is fried. Perhaps the best-known
Vietnamese seasoning agent is a fermented fish
sauce called Nuoc Man (pronounced nook mon). The
concentrated form of this sauce (it needs to be
diluted and spiced up before it is served)
provides a base for nuoc cham, which is what
finally appears in a small dish on your table.
It is prepared by adding sugar, limejuice,
vinegar, chopped shallots, garlic and carrots. Sliced chili peppers
are a staple condiment at most meals. Spices
such as coriander, lemon grass, mint, black
pepper and a local basil-like herb called rau
ram add a light and subtle flavor. Fresh
vegetables and fruits are characteristic of
southern Vietnamese cooking. The cuisine of the
North relies more on thickening agents, with a
strong emphasis on sauces and spices.
One of the legacies of French colonization is the bread. Baguettes are
made with rice flour and are always fresh and
delicious with fruit preserves and patès.
Cooking is done over a flame, ovens are rare. The Vietnamese use
chopsticks and meals often consist of many
dishes - soup, fish, fowl and possibly beef.
Vietnam generally does not have fresh milk or
dairy products. Coffee is served with sweetened
condensed milk if ordered 'sua' (with milk).
Coffee is rich, strong and comes from an African
bean grown in the highlands of Vietnam. Tea is
essential and part of Vietnamese life. No
business meeting can proceed, regardless how
small without the ritual serving of hot tea (nuoc
che). The tea is often mixed with dried flowers
such as jasmine.
Soup is essential to all Vietnamese meals. It is hard to move more than 20
feet on any street in Saigon or Hanoi without
coming upon a Pho stand. Pho (pronounced fur) is
a hearty vermicelli noodle soup, which has
either chicken or beef with fresh greens. It is
truly the national dish of Vietnam and served
and eaten all times of day and night.
Cha Gio (spring rolls), are lightly fried rice-paper rolls, smaller and
crispier and more flavorful than Chinese egg
rolls. They are filled with highly seasoned
morsels of crab, shrimp, chopped vegetables,
sprouts and cellophane noodles. In Vietnam they
are eaten with the fingers and are wrapped in
fresh green mint leaves or other greens.
Southern Vietnam
is a paradise for those who love fish - all
kinds of fish and seafood; crab, giant shrimp,
mussels, oysters, squid are plentiful. A
favorite is a large flat fish called elephant
ear fish, cooked whole with a delicious crispy
coating. It is brought ceremoniously to the
table standing between stalks of decorative
celery.
Rice 'com' (pronounced come) is eaten in vast quantities; the quality of
the rice is very important as the Vietnamese are
very particular about their rice and they cook
it in a variety of innovative and delicious
ways. Sticky rice is slightly sweet and very
tasty. On special occasions a mixture of rice
and spices is carefully wrapped and tied in
grape leaf "parcels" then cooked. To eat, you
must untie the parcels and scoop out the rice.
It is fascinating to watch Vietnamese women
prepare this dish with amazing speed and skill.
Che is a sweet snack made of green beans. It comes in solid and liquid
form. The solid comes in blocks, cut into
"sugar cube" size pieces and the liquid is
poured into a glass and often served with
crushed ice.
Fruit is plentiful especially in the south - wonderful exotic fruits like
jackfruit, rambutans, dragon fruit, papayas,
mangoes, green grapefruit, delicious miniature
bananas etc. the list is endless and all are
wonderful. The only fruit that the Vietnamese
love and westerners find hard to eat because of
its strong smell is durian - the taste is hard
to describe, it is the gorgonzola of Vietnamese
fruits!
Mealtime is a very social time for the Vietnamese and often several
families will eat together. In the evening,
especially in the south, when it is very warm
families will gather together and eat outside.
Most of their cooking is done outside and the
still night air comes alive with the most
wonderful smell of cooking. The Vietnamese eat
many times a day and they eat large quantities
of food but it is hard to find an "over-weight"
Vietnamese in Vietnam!
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