Characteristic products
An absolute must in Vietnamese cuisine, nước mâm is a sauce made from salted and fermented fish, yielding a clear juice that is highly fragrant and rich in flavor. What is generally found in Europe under the name of "nem sauce", or nước chấm in Vietnam, contains precisely nước mâm, water, vinegar and sugar. Mắm tôm is a thick, purplish sauce made from fermented shrimp, to which chili and lemon juice are often added before serving. Other condiments include soy sauce, tương (a fermented soybean paste), or oyster sauce.
The Vietnamese make generous use of herbs, garnishing almost every dish with coriander, mint and Thai basil. And let's not forget diếp cá, with its fishy, iodized taste, ngo gai or long coriander, and rau răm, whose taste oscillates between lemongrass and coriander. Rau sống refers to a mix of vegetables, including lettuce, onion, white radish, grated carrot, coriander and mint, which accompany most dishes. The term dưa muối corresponds to different types of pickled vegetables. Due to its Buddhist culture, the country has many vegetarians, and most dishes containing meat have vegetable protein variants.
However, Vietnamese cuisine also makes extensive use of meat, fish and seafood. Meat dishes include pork, chicken, duck, beef and goat, as well as more surprising meats such as snake, rat, jellyfish, turtle, bloodworm and various insects. Taboo in the south, dog meat is considered a delicacy in the north. Also worth mentioning are rứng vịt lộn, also known as " balut " in the Philippines, a fertilized egg containing a partially developed duck fetus, or tiết canh, a jellied pig's blood pudding. Swallows' nests, transformed into soup, are highly sought-after, as are shark fins. While some may be tempted by the exoticism of these products, it should be noted that they often come from animals threatened with extinction, with dubious traceability.
Northern Vietnam has a colder climate that limits the cultivation and availability of certain herbs and spices, particularly in mountainous regions. As a result, condiments are used more sparingly. Black pepper often replaces chili, and dishes in general are more balanced and less spicy than in the south. Freshwater fish, frogs' legs, crustaceans and molluscs (shrimps, crabs, squid, octopus, clams, mussels and snails) are widely used.
Classics of Vietnamese cuisine
Although the north of the country has its own distinct culinary identity, recipes can be found all over Vietnam. If there's one essential starter, it's the nem. Beware, however, if you want to try the kind you'd eat in France, order nem rán (sometimes called chả giò), deep-fried and stuffed with pork, black mushrooms and rice vermicelli. Conversely, nem cuốn are raw, the equivalent of our "spring rolls". Very different, nem nướng are skewers of minced pork flavored with lemongrass, coriander and chili pepper.
French-inspired bánh patê sô are meat puff pastries, while bánh mì is a baguette-based sandwich, also of French heritage, generously topped with beef, pork and sausages with all manner of crudités: cucumber, carrot, coriander, lettuce, etc. Bánh khọt are small fried rice cakes topped with shrimp. A close relative, bánh khoái huế is a rice pancake filled with shrimp and bean sprouts. Bánh bao is a steamed bun stuffed with minced pork, Chinese sausage and hard-boiled eggs. Also worth mentioning are bánh bột lọc, transparent tapioca flour ravioli stuffed with shrimp and pork.
Salads are very popular in Vietnam: gỏi đu đủ (green papaya salad with nuoc nam, shrimp, pork and crushed peanuts), gỏi ngó sen (lotus stem salad, with shrimp and peanuts), nôm chuôi (banana blossom salad) or bò tái chanh (beef and onion salad with lime and chili). Noodle soups are legion, such as bún bò huế (noodle soup with spicy pork) or bún mắm (spicy seafood soup). Bún bò nam bộ contains strips of beef, vermicelli and crudités, without broth. What we call " bo bun " in France is actually bún thịt nướng with its filling of noodles, meat and crudités, topped with egg rolls.
Rice can be white(gạotrắng), sticky(gạo nếp) or fragrant(gạo thơm hoa nhài), but is also often cooked: cơm chiên (fried rice), cơm hến (rice with clams), cơm gà rau thơm (sautéed rice with shredded chicken, crudités and mint) or cơm chiên cá mặn (rice with dried and salted fish, topped with chicken and omelette). Bánh chưng is a square-shaped sticky rice cake, filled with pork and chilli and steamed. Finally, bánh ít is a steamed rice pyramid, stuffed with meat and molded in woven palm-leaf cones.
Among the best-known meat dishes is thịt kho tàu or pork in caramel sauce, usually cooked with hard-boiled eggs. Bò lúc lắc is a French-inspired dish meant to mimic entrecôte-frites, with beef marinated in soy sauce. Bò kho is a beef stew with carrots and tomato sauce, inspired by our beef with carrots. Chả lụa is a lean pork and potato starch sausage resembling white pudding. Vietnamese black pudding - dồi tiết (North) or dồi huyết (South) - is very popular. Gà nướng sả (grilled chicken with lemongrass) can be found on every street corner. Note the cà ri gà, a chicken curry with potato and carrot, flavored with lemongrass.
On the seaside, cá kho tộ is a recipe for fish in a sweet-and-sour sauce with chillies and green onion. Chạo tôm is shrimp paste coated on a sugarcane stick before being deep-fried. Tôm rang muối ớt are shrimp simply fried with salt, pepper and coriander. Finally, canh chuan is a recipe from the Mekong delta, made with fish, pineapple, tomatoes and tamarind.
Specialties of North Vietnam
In addition to the great classics from the south and center of the country, there are a multitude of recipes from North Vietnam. The most emblematic dish is probably phở, from the town of Nam Dinh, south of the Red River delta. It consists of a highly fragrant broth made from pork or beef bones, onion, garlic, pepper, star anise, ginger and cinnamon. This is then toasted to bring out the flavours, before the ingredients are immersed in a large pot of water. After several hours - or even days - of simmering over a very low heat, the broth is served with rice vermicelli, raw vegetables, mint, coriander and chilli, as well as raw meat sliced so thinly that it cooks instantly on contact with the hot broth.
Delicate bánh cuốn, thin rice cakes, are rolled around a stuffing of pork and mushrooms. Quite similar, phở cuốn consists of sheets of pho noodles topped with sautéed beef, garlic, ginger, pepper, herbs and raw vegetables. The whole thing is rolled up and served with a nuoc nam and chilli sauce. Bánh tôm are fried croquettes of shrimp and grated sweet potato. Cơm lam is prepared by stuffing glutinous rice into bamboo tubes wrapped in banana leaves then grilled over embers. Once cooked, it is sprinkled with sesame seeds and peanuts and served with grilled pork or chicken.
There are many fish and seafood dishes. Pa pỉnh tộp is a recipe for freshwater fish marinated in a mixture of garlic, ginger, chilli and herbs before being grilled. Originating in Hanoi, chả cá lã vọng consists of cubes of fish flavored with turmeric, sautéed with dill and spring onions and served with vermicelli and roasted peanuts. Also worth mentioning is lẩu cá tầm cá hồi, a fish fondue composed of thin slices of salmon and sturgeon, served with vegetables and especially baby greens, which guests come to cook in a rich, aromatic broth.
Opc luoc xa is prepared with mountain snails, harvested from April to August. Boiled with spices (lemongrass, ginger, red pepper), they are then flavored with nuoc nam. A must in Hanoi, bún ốc is a spicy snail soup made with a tomato-based broth. It's garnished with rice vermicelli, fresh herbs, fish croquettes, fried tofu and chopped green onion. Bún riêu is a freshwater crab soup flavored with tomato and tamarind, then garnished with fried tofu and bean sprouts.
On the meat side, note the thit lon nuong muoi vung, skewers of black pork (a local breed) marinated with green onion, lemongrass, nuoc nam, oyster sauce, sugar and sesame seeds. The thịt trâu gác bếp consists of salted and dried buffalo meat typical of the Sapa region, served in small strips. Often prepared for the Tết festival, gà luộc is whole chicken poached in a rich broth with ginger, green onions and turmeric. A Chinese-inspired dish, gà bạn đen hầm thuốc bắc is a soup prepared with black chicken - a breed of poultry known for its purplish flesh - which is flavored with herbs, then topped with bamboo shoots, ginger, lotus seeds, wild yam, berries and dried scallops.
The surprising tai chanh contains raw goat meat in strips, cooked in a marinade of lemon juice, chillies, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, pepper and sesame. Bún chả, a vermicelli soup garnished with crudités and pork dumplings seasoned with nuoc nam and chili pepper, is also closely linked to Hanoi, where it is thought to have originated. Reserved for lovers of very local flavors, bún đậu mắm tôm is an assortment of grilled intestines, minced pork and rice croquettes, fried tofu and thinly sliced pork roulade. All served with fermented shrimp paste seasoned with lemon or kumquat juice.
There are also a few meatless specialties, such as đậu hũ sốt cà made with crispy tofu cooked in a peppery tomato sauce with garlic, shallot and chilli. Xôi ngũ sắc or five-colored glutinous rice is a traditional dish of the Tày ethnic group, prepared with five different types of glutinous rice, each with a distinct color: red for fire, green for wood, yellow for earth, black for water and white for metal. The coloring is traditionally obtained with vegetables and fruit. It's a festive dish, usually reserved for the Tết festival. Finally, mướp xào trứng is made with bitter melon or margose, sautéed with omelette and nuoc nam.
Desserts and drinks
Local markets are brimming with an incredible array of sun-drenched fruits. These include the classic pineapples, mangoes, bananas, oranges, mandarins, grapefruits and lychees, as well as lesser-known fruits such as the corrosol anone, with its creamy, sweet white pulp, or the starfruit, which when cut reveals star-shaped slices. Vietnam is the world's leading producer of cashew nuts. While everyone knows the nut, few have ever tasted its fruit, called "cashew apple", juicy, fragrant and slightly acidic, appreciated in syrup, liqueur and jam. In many Asian countries, durian is considered one of the finest delicacies. This enormous fruit, bristling with prickles, is known for the strong, heady aroma of its creamy yellow pulp, which the Vietnamese adore. Opinions in the West are more mixed. Others include the longan, with its delicate, translucent flesh; the mangosteen, with its sweet, melting white pulp; and the rambutan, the "hairy" cousin of the lychee.
Among North Vietnam's most emblematic desserts is banh gai, a square sticky rice cake that owes its black coloring to the leaf of ramie, a cousin of nettle. It's filled with mung beans, waxy squash confit, lard, sugar and sesame. Bánh đậu xanh is a very dense cake made with mung bean puree, fat and sugar, with a texture akin to soft nougat. Finally, bánh hạt dẻ is a puff pastry filled with chestnut paste. But there's alsochè: halfway between a pudding and a drink, it's generally made from beans and glutinous rice. Many varieties of chè are available, each containing different fruits and toppings. Chè can be served hot or cold and often with coconut milk.
Chuối chiên is very common in markets. This fried banana is often served hot with ice cream, usually vanilla or coconut. Bánh rán comes in the form of small fried sesame balls filled with mung bean cream. Bánh khoai mì is a rich, dense cassava cake with coconut milk. Influenced by French cuisine, bánh flan is served with caramel or coffee sauce. Bánh bò is a sweet, airy sponge cake flavored with coconut milk and made from rice flour, while the much denser bánh da lợn is steamed. It's made with rice flour and coconut milk, alternating layers of different colors, flavored with taro, durian or pandan, a highly fragrant leaf from a palm-like tree. Last but not least, bánh trôi consists of small balls of glutinous rice filled with palm sugar.
Originating in China, it is likely that tea first appeared in Vietnam between the 7th and 10th centuries BC, although centuries-old tea bushes grow naturally in the far north of the country. Green tea is preferred here, black tea being reserved for export. Visitors to Vietnamese homes are always offered tea. Lotus tea(chè sen or trà sen), scented with sacred lotus petals, is produced in Hanoi. If we always associate Asia with tea, we'll be surprised to learn that coffee occupies a considerable place in the country. In fact, Vietnam is the world's2nd largest producer after Brazil, and the locals consume a great deal of it. These include cà phê sữa đá, a full-bodied black coffee with sweetened condensed milk or, more surprisingly, cà phê trứng, enriched with egg yolk whipped with milk, giving a deliciously rich, frothy coffee.
On the cold drinks side, there's chanh muối soda, a soda with sugar and lime preserved in salt, or nước mía, a sugarcane juice served on the rocks. The refreshing trà đá chanh is a simple iced tea with lemon. Finally, sinh tố is the generic name given to fruit smoothies. The Vietnamese are also very fond of beer: Saigon Beer, 333 Imported Premium Beer, Larue Beer, Hanoi Beer, Truc Bach Beer, etc. The term bia hơi (literally "fresh beer") is the name given to draught beer. There are also some stronger rice-based spirits(kim son, mau son, rượu đế), but also a liqueur made from wild mountain apples(táo mèo).
