A Brief Introduction to Vietnamese Cuisine

Whether you’re aware of it or not, the chances that you’ve come across Vietnamese cuisine have increased drastically over the past few decades. Its popularity has seen a massive explosion over the years thanks in no small part to Vietnamese food’s emphasis on fresh ingredients, bold aromas and natural flavors.

Though certainly influenced by the cuisine of neighboring areas in some ways, Vietnamese food is truly unique and offers a culinary experience like little else. So, whether you’re interested in buying some fresh poultry online and incorporating some more ideas from Vietnamese food into your home cooking, or you’re simply curious as to what makes it unique, we’re going to take today to sit down and go through Vietnamese food’s many charms and styles. Let’s dig in.

What Are the Basics of Vietnamese Food?

While Vietnamese food has its own identity and unique flavors, how that flavor is expressed can change quite significantly from place to place within the country. The north of Vietnam tends to be home to dishes that are a little more akin to Chinese cooking, with staples such as the rice rolls of Banh Cuon or the fragrant soup of Chicken Pho feeling right at home with a lot of foods that have become popular from Chinese delicacy.

On the other hand, Southern Vietnamese dishes tend to have more in common with the sweeter, aromatic dishes of Thailand, with tropical ingredients such as coconut being used more frequently. Much of the similarities between the foods of these various areas come down to a reliance on rice, noodle soups and stir-fries. However, this is mostly where these similarities end in a practical sense. After all, it would be quite difficult to find anyone that mistakes Pho for anything else.

The Herbs, Spices & Sauces of Vietnamese Cooking

As mentioned earlier, Vietnamese cooking is well-known and highly regarded for its use of fresh, aromatic ingredients. Lime leaves mix with chillies, lemongrass and more to create a vibrant, natural aroma that cannot be matched for brightness. These ingredients are often only lightly cooked or steeped, allowing them to preserve their natural freshness and create a culinary experience that feels healthy, warm and enriching with every serving.

As for sauces, Nước Mắm Pha fish sauce is one of the more iconic and wide-reaching additions to Vietnamese cooking, but there are many other sauces that are used to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients used. Shrimp paste, Hoisin, and soybean pastes; each sauce is often paired with other strong, aromatic seasoning ingredients like lemon juice and vinegar.

Many of the seasonings and sauces associated with this style of cooking could be described as “sharp”, with acidic and sour tones balancing umami through the fresh meats and vegetables.

Some Classic Vietnamese Foods

Pho

A classic of Vietnamese cooking, Pho is the staple for anyone looking to take their first step as a newcomer to Vietnam’s flavor palette. You would find it difficult to discover a Vietnamese restaurant in the west without Pho on the menu, and it’s often what people think of when they think of this kind of cultural cuisine.

Pho involves placing rice noodles into a flavored, aromatic broth, and mixing it with everything from bean sprouts to meats to basic, mint, cilantro and more. One of the reasons it is such a beloved staple of Vietnam is its versatility, with the idea of Pho being more of a base for many different styles and flavors to flourish.

Gỏi Cuốn

Flavorsome, light, and a perfect appetizer for the warmer months, gỏi cuốn is a delicious rice paper roll served under a variety of names. Often referred to as summer rolls in the US, gỏi cuốn tends to be a dipping food, accompanied by fish sauce, among other delicious sides. If you’re looking for a light, bright way to get some extra energy at work, gỏi cuốn is the perfect munching food, and can even be made into a main given its mix of herbs, proteins and noodles.

Bánh Cam

A personal favorite of mine, bánh cam is another familiar staple of Vietnamese restaurants and stores. Bánh cam involves deep frying rice flour balls coated in sesame seeds to create a chewy, crispy treat that is as addictive as it is appetizing to look at. They are considered at their absolute best when fresh, so do your best to find a store that makes them, or simply try your hand at making them yourself.

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Vietnam is a place brimming with amazing culinary ideas, and with places like the US and Australia embracing more and more foods from northern and southern Vietnamese cooking, it has never been more accessible. So, go out there, try something new, and potentially find something that you will truly love.