Vietnamese cuisine


Historical influences

Besides indigenous Vietnamese influences, which are the major core of Vietnamese food, owing to historical contact with China and centuries of sinicization, some Vietnamese dishes share similarities with Chinese cuisine. In culinary traditions, the Chinese introduced to Vietnam several dishes, including vằn thắn/''hoành thánh, xá xíu, há cảo, hủ tiếu, mì, bò bía, bánh quẩy, mooncake and bánh pía, bánh tổ, sủi dìn, bánh bò, bánh bao, cơm chiên Dương Châu, and mì xào. The Vietnamese adopted these foods and added their own styles and flavors to the foods. Ethnic minorities in the mountainous region near the China–Vietnam border also adopted some foods from China. Ethnic Tày and Nùng in Lạng Sơn province adopted thịt lợn quay and khâu nhục from China. Some New World vegetables, such as chili peppers and corn, also made their way to Vietnam from the Ming dynasty.
The French introduced baguettes to Vietnam, which were combined with Vietnamese stuffing to become a popular fast food in Vietnam called bánh mì thịt, known overseas as "Vietnamese baguettes". Bánh mì is just the bread, whereas thịt implies meat or stuffing. The French also introduced Vietnam to onions, potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, lettuce, tarragon, carrot, artichoke, asparagus, and coffee.
The western-introduced ingredients often have a name derived from a similar native Vietnamese ingredient, then adding the word tây. Onions are called hành tây, asparagus as măng tây and potatoes are called khoai tây in Vietnamese, which reflects their origin before arriving in Vietnam. French-influenced dishes are numerous and not limited to: sa lát, pâté, patê sô, bánh sừng trâu/bánh sừng bò, bánh flan, ya ua, rôti, bơ, vịt nấu cam, ốp lết, ốp la, phá xí, bít tết, sốt vang, dăm bông, and xúc xích. Owing to influences from French colonial rule, the French Indochinese countries of Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia have several shared dishes and beverages, including baguettes and coffee. The French also introduced the use of dairy products in Vietnamese-French fusion dishes.
Vietnamese cuisine also has influences from Champa, Malaysia and Cambodia. The use of coconut milk and various central dishes such as bánh khọt were influenced by Cham cuisine. Spices including curries were also introduced to Vietnam by Malay and Indian traders. Though not common in the north, cà ri is a quite popular dish in central and southern Vietnam. The most common form is chicken curry, and to a lesser extent, goat curry. Chicken curry is an indispensable dish in many social gathering events, such as weddings, funerals, graduations, and the yearly death anniversary of a loved one. Similar to Cambodia, curry in Vietnam is eaten either with bread, steamed rice, or round rice noodles. Mắm bồ hóc or prahok, adopted from ethnic Khmer in Southern Vietnam, is used as a central ingredient of a Vietnamese rice noodle soup called bún nước lèo which originated with ethnic Khmers in Vietnam and is not found in Cambodia.
Owing to contact with previous communist countries from Eastern Europe, the Vietnamese adopted dishes such as stuffed cabbage soup, sa lát Nga and bia Tiệp''.

Regional cuisines

The mainstream culinary traditions in all three regions of Vietnam share some fundamental features:
  • Freshness of food: Most meats are only briefly cooked. Vegetables are eaten fresh; if they are cooked, they are boiled or only briefly stir-fried.
  • Presence of herbs and vegetables: Herbs and vegetables are essential to many Vietnamese dishes and are often abundantly used.
  • Variety and harmony of textures: Crisp with soft, watery with crunchy, delicate with rough.
  • Broths or soup-based dishes are common in all three regions.
  • Presentation: The condiments accompanying Vietnamese meals are usually colorful and arranged in eye-pleasing manners.
While sharing some key features, Vietnamese culinary tradition differs from region to region.
In northern Vietnam, a colder climate limits the production and availability of spices. As a result, the foods there are often less spicy than those in other regions. Black pepper is used in place of chilies as the most popular ingredient to produce spicy flavors. In general, northern Vietnamese cuisine is not bold in any particular taste—sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, or sour. Most northern Vietnamese foods feature light and balanced flavors that result from subtle combinations of many different flavoring ingredients. The use of meats such as pork, beef, and chicken were relatively limited in the past. Freshwater fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, such as prawns and shrimp, squid, crabs, clams, and mussels, are widely used. Many notable dishes of northern Vietnam are crab-centered. Being the cradle of Vietnamese civilization, northern Vietnam produces many signature dishes of Vietnam, such as bún riêu and bánh cuốn, which were carried to central and southern Vietnam through Vietnamese migration. Other famous Vietnamese dishes that originated from the north, particularly from Hanoi, include "bún chả", phở gà, chả cá Lã Vọng.
The abundance of spices produced by Central Vietnam's mountainous terrain makes this region's cuisine notable for its spicy food, which sets it apart from the two other regions of Vietnam, where foods are mostly not spicy. Once the capital of the last dynasty of Vietnam, Huế's culinary tradition features highly decorative and colorful food, reflecting the influence of ancient Vietnamese royal cuisine. The region's cuisine is also notable for its sophisticated meals consisting of many complex dishes served in small portions. Chili peppers and shrimp sauces are among the frequently used ingredients. Some Vietnamese signature dishes produced in central Vietnam are bún bò Huế and bánh khoái.
The warm weather and fertile soil of southern Vietnam create an ideal condition for growing a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and livestock. As a result, foods in southern Vietnam are often vibrant and flavorful, with liberal uses of garlic, shallots, and fresh herbs. Sugar is added to food more than in the other regions. The preference for sweetness in southern Vietnam can also be seen through the widespread use of coconut milk in southern Vietnamese cuisine. Vast shorelines make seafood a natural staple for people in this region. Some signature seafood dishes from southern Vietnam include bánh khọt and bún mắm.
Mekong Delta cuisine relies heavily on fresh products which are abundant in the new land with heavy use of palm sugar, fermented fish, seafood and wild herbs and flowers. The history of the region being a newly settled area reflects on its cuisine; ẩm thực khẩn hoang or "settlers' cuisine" means dishes are prepared fresh from wild and newly-caught ingredients. The cuisine is also influenced by Khmer, Cham and Chinese settlers.
The cuisine of the Northern and Central Highlands regions is influenced by tribal traditions, with items such as thắng cố, dried meats, cơm lam and rượu cần.

Relation to Vietnamese philosophy

Vietnamese cuisine always has five elements which are known for its balance in each of these features.
  • Many Vietnamese dishes include five fundamental taste senses : spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet, corresponding to five organs : gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach, and urinary bladder.
  • Vietnamese dishes also include five types of nutrients : powder, water or liquid, mineral elements, protein, and fat.
  • Vietnamese cooks try to have five colours in their dishes: white, green, yellow, red and black.
  • Dishes in Vietnam appeal to gastronomes via the five senses : food arrangement attracts the eyes, sounds come from crisp ingredients, five spices are detected on the tongue, aromatic ingredients coming mainly from herbs stimulate the nose, and some meals, especially finger food, can be perceived by touching.

    Five-element correspondence

Vietnamese cuisine is influenced by the Asian principle of five elements and mahābhūta.

Yin-yang balance

The principle of yin and yang is applied in composing a meal in a way that provides a balance that is beneficial for the body. While contrasting texture and flavors are important, the principle primarily concerns the "heating" and "cooling" properties of ingredients. Certain dishes are served in their respective seasons to provide contrasts in temperature and spiciness of the food and environment. Some examples are:
  • Duck meat, considered "cool", is served during the hot summer with ginger fish sauce, which is "warm". Conversely, chicken, which is "warm", and pork, which is "hot", are eaten in the winter.
  • Seafoods ranging from "cool" to "cold" are suitable to use with ginger.
  • Spicy foods are typically balanced with sourness, which is considered "cool".
  • Balut, meaning "upside-down egg", must be combined with Vietnamese mint .

    Food in relation to lifestyle

Vietnamese cuisine is reflective of the Vietnamese lifestyle, from the preparation to how the food is served. Going through long phases of war and political conflict, as well as cultural shifts, many Vietnamese people have been living in poverty. Therefore, the ingredients for Vietnamese food are often very inexpensive. Nonetheless, the way they are cooked together to create a yin–yang balance makes the food simple in appearance but rich in flavor.
Because of economic conditions, maximizing the use of ingredients to save money has become a tradition in Vietnamese cooking. In earlier decades, and even nowadays in rural areas, every part of a cow is used, from the muscle meat to the intestines. The higher quality cuts from farmed animals would be cooked in stir-fry dishes and soups, while the secondary cuts would be used in blood sausages or for preparing broth. The same goes for vegetables like scallions: the leafy part is diced into small bits which are used to add flavor to the food while the crunchy stalk and roots are replanted.
Nước mắm is the most commonly used condiment in Vietnamese cooking. It is made from fermented raw fish and is served with most of the Vietnamese dishes. A traditional southern Vietnamese meal usually includes cơm trắng, cá kho tộ, canh chua cá lóc, and it would be incomplete without fish sauce served as a condiment. Cooking and then serving fish in the same clay pot has been proven to be an ancient tradition.
The foods from each region in Vietnam carry their distinctive and unique characteristics that reflect the geographical and living conditions of the people there. The traditional southern Vietnamese meal is made up of fresh ingredients that the fertile Mekong Delta could provide, such as ca loc, and a wide range of tropical fruit like mangosteen, mango, and dragon fruit. The southern-style diet includes vegetables, fish and tropical fruits as the main ingredients.
Central Vietnam is the region in which food is prepared with the strongest, boldest flavors. The coastline around the central Vietnam area is known for its salt and fish sauce industries; these two condiments are central to their daily diets.
Northern Vietnamese cuisine has a strong Chinese influence, and its most famous dish is pho. While plain rice is a staple in the southern Vietnamese diet, the north has a preference for noodles. Owing to the notable differences in climate and lifestyles throughout the three main regions of Vietnam, the foods vary. Northern Vietnamese cooking is the least bold and spicy in flavor compared to the foods from central and southern Vietnam.