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 Seldom
do the words delicious and healthy come together in describing food, but
delicious and healthy do best describe Vietnamese cuisine in general.
With the popular use of grains like rice and wheat, legumes, fresh herbs
and vegetables, and minimal use of oil, Vietnamese cuisine could be
considered among the healthiest in the world.
Many Vietnamese meat and fish dishes are relatively light since it is
the trend to treat meat simply as a condiment and not as a main course.
Pho
 Undoubtedly,
noodles (made from rice flour) or Pho as it is called locally is the
most popular food among the Vietnamese. While Pho is traditionally eaten
for breakfast, it is commonly taken also for lunch or dinner. Noodle
stalls offering quick Pho soup meals can be found along many roads.
These road stalls are quite popular among the locals since it provides
affordable meals and are convenient for the largely bicycle and
motorscooter riding population.
Pho Varieties:
Pho Bo (with beef) – broth is made from the soup stock of beef
and pork bones.
Pho Bo Tai – made with thin beef slices (can be made from fillet
mignon) and ginger
Pho Ga (with chicken) – broth is made from chicken and pork bones
stock
Pho xao- stir fried noodles; no broth
Com
 Like
in most Asian countries, the other Vietnamese staple food is Com
(boiled/steamed rice). Typically made from fragrant rice varieties like
Tam Thom and Nang Huong, com is eaten during lunch or
dinner together with a variety of different dishes.
Typical com combinations:
Mon an kho - (meal without soup) consists of dishes of pork,
fish, shrimp, and vegetable cooked in oil, as well as vegetables,
pickles, etc.
Mon canh - (meal with soup) consists of a soup made with pork or
spare-ribs, crabmeat, and fish.
It is also customary for every meal to have a platter containing
cucumbers, bean threads, slices of hot pepper, and herb sprigs like
basil, coriander and mint.
Salads
For visitors who are vegetarians or would prefer a really light meal,
Vietnamese salads are great. Vietnamese salads are very delicious and
low in fat. The salads contain almost no oil as the dressings are
typically made of lime/ lemon juice, garlic, chilies and sugar. The
greens are typically shredded into very thin slices or strips.
Regional Cuisine Differences
Apart from the love of rice and noodles, traditional Vietnamese fare
varies between the north, south and central regions. Vietnam’s cuisine
reflects its geography and history.
The Red River Delta surrounding Hanoi provides rice for the
residents of North Vietnam while the very fertile Mekong Delta,
centered by Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) produces rice plus
a wide variety of fruits and vegetables both for itself and the central
region.
 A
former Chinese colony, the Vietnamese adopted the chopsticks and the
wok. Due to its proximity to the border, North Vietnam reflects the most
Chinese influence in its cuisine, using ingredients like soy sauce. In
most areas of Vietnam, Fish Sauce or Nuoc Mam replaces soy sauce.
Northern recipes also call for fewer herbs and vegetables than the other
regions, largely in part because its climate is less hospitable to
plants than that of the Mekong Delta.
For first timers
 For
first time visitors to Vietnam, especially those with young children, it
is recommended to try out the Pho and deep-fried spring rolls which kids
really enjoy. Adults would probably enjoy the salad rolls. These are
commonly wrapped in rice paper with shrimp, pork and mint.
For dessert, visitors have a huge array of fresh tropical fruits to
choose from. Apart from the usual mango and banana fare, Vietnam offers
more exotic fruits like the star apples (trai vu sua),
dragon fruit (trai thanh long), sapodillas (trai
xapoche), and mangosteens (trai mang cut).
Visit beautiful Vietnam today!
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