Vietamese cuisine - Insights - By food author Howard Hillman

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Vietnamese cuisine
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Healthy diet

Vietnamese cuisine is one of the world's healthiest - fresh vegetables are important elements.

Noodle soups

There are many varieties beyond the famous Pho Bo. Preparations typically begin with a delicate, yet flavorful clear broth that takes hours to prepare. Then, rice noodles are briefly added. Then both cooks in the kitchen and diners at the table enhance the preparation with various ingredients and flavoring agents.

Popular flavoring agents

Nuoc Nam (sauce made with salty, fermented fish) and Nuoc Cham (garlicky chili paste) play a major role in Vietnamese cuisine. The two are used both in the kitchen and at the table. The same is for fresh herbs like mint, basil, and coriander.

Rice

It is the main starch staple in Vietnam. Most is grown in the southern Mekong River delta. (In the cooler north, wheat is also grown).

Dining traditions

The food is normally brought to the table all at once in communal serving bowls. Diners transfer the food into their small individual eating bowls - and eat with chopsticks.

Culinary legacies

The Chinese culinary influence is more apparent in the north while the French colonial heritage has left a stronger imprint in central region and especially in the southern region.