Asian Food and Cookery

Vietnamese Food - An Introduction

Vietnamese food is not terribly familiar to many of us but certainly, in Western Europe, Vietnamese restaurants are springing up and there is wider interest in cooking Vietnamese food at home.

In the north of Vietnam it is relatively cool so the food is mainly "comfort food" such as the well-known noodle soup, pho. The centre of Vietnam favours the extensive use of chillies, making the food from this region very hot and spicy as well as being known for its huge banquets much loved by the emperors. In the south, the food more inclined to a simple spiciness, using plenty of vegetables. All over the country a meal will contain fresh herbs, vegetables, rice, fish sauce (nuoc nam), used much as the Chinese use soy sauce, and there will always be soup.

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posted by Liz Canham @ 5:35 PM