Vietnamese Cuisine

The Vietnamese cuisine is famous for its fresh and healthy meals. The Vietnamese cuisine is known as the Asian “Light Cuisine”. The Vietnamese dishes are rich in fresh vegetables and flavored herbs, noodle dishes, grilled foods and light fruit deserts served with tapioca or with rice with sugar. The Vietnamese cuisine is composed of low fats dishes, being one of the healthier cuisines of the world. The Vietnamese cooking contains Chinese and French elements. There are some regional differences like for example, in the Southern region of Vietnam; the cuisine contains a great variety of seafood dishes. In the Northern region of Vietnam, beef dishes are very popular and in the center of Vietnam, the dishes have major influences of the ancient royal cuisine. A Vietnamese common dinner contains rice noodle soups, fresh greens and vegetables, rice paper served with dipping sauce, meat dishes, seafood dishes and hot tea. The cooking methods aren’t difficult at all and there is no need for special, sophisticated cooking equipment. The basic ingredients used in preparing Vietnamese dishes are: the fish sauce, ginger, garlic, green onions, lemongrass, coconut milk and rice noodles. Rice is the most important element in the Vietnamese cuisine. Rice is used as the main ingredient in most Vietnamese courses. “Nuoc Mam” is the Vietnamese condiment added to most dishes. The “Fish Sauce” is made of salt and fermented fish. The Vietnamese diet is rich is fresh vegetables and wild or cultivated fruits.