Vietnamese foodhas long been appreciated in France, yet, it was the U.S residents whodiscovered its fine features. Vietnamese chefs like to refer to theircooking as "the nouvelle cuisine of Asia." Indeed, with the heavyreliance on rice, wheat and legumes, abundance of fresh herbs andvegetables, minimal use of oil as well as treatment of meat as acondiment rather than a main course, Vietnamese food has to be amongthe healthiest on the planet.

Cuisinein the country with more than 70,000,000 people differs strikinglybetween the north, south and central regions, but two key featuresstand out.

Firstly,rice plays an essential role in the nation's diet as it does throughoutSoutheast Asia. Humorous speaking, Vietnamese is noodle-crazy. You haveseen regularly the appearance of noodle in their breakfast, lunch anddinner, in homes, restaurants and at roadside stands. Noodles are eatenwet and dry, in soup or beside soup, and are made in different shapesand thicknesses of wheat, rice and mung beans such as bun cha, Cao Lau, Hue beef noodle, bun rieu…Rice is also a main ingredients for making banh chung, banh bao, banh xeo, banh beo, xoi…

Secondly,no meal is complete without fresh vegetables and herbs. Thanks to thetropical climate, fresh vegetables are available all the year round. Asthe result, dishes with fresh vegetable become familiar with everyfamily, especially with poor people in the old days. Some populardishes are canh, goi ngo sen, nom du du, rau muong, ca phao…Vietnam can also be considered as a tropical paradise of dessert and beverage with che, sugarcane, fruit smoothies, bubble tea…

With different cooking methods, different dishes were made, extremely enjoyed and gradually popularized in the country. Akey portion of every meal from the North, the Central to the South is aplatter containing cucumbers, bean threads, slices of hot pepper,sprigs of basil, coriander, mint and a number of related herbs foundprincipally in Southeast Asian markets.

Food of three regions

Vietnamesecuisine reflects its geography and history. Geographically, it consistsof two great river deltas separated by a belt of mountains. Vietnamesedescribe their country as two great rice baskets hung on a carryingpole. The Red River Delta surrounding Hanoi provides rice for theresidents of North Vietnam. The tremendously fertile Mekong Delta,centered by Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) produces rice plus awide variety of fruits and vegetables.

Asa former colony of China, Vietnamese adopted not only the Confucianism,Buddhism, but also the habit of eating by chopsticks. Due to itsproximity to the border, North Vietnam reflects more Chinese influencethan central or south. Soy sauce rarely appears in Vietnamese dishesexcept in the North. It is replaced by the most important and commoningredients in Vietnamese cuisine - fish sauce or nuoc mam and shrimp paste.In the North, fish - dipping sauce is usually used plain or almostmixed with nothing. In the South, sugar, vinegar or lemon juice areadded to weaken the sauce’s smell while in the Middle, people mixed thesauce with some chilly.

Northerncuisine exhibits fewer herbs and vegetables than the other regionsbecause its climate is less hospitable than the Mekong Delta. For heat,North Vietnamese cooks rely on black pepper rather than chilies.

Theroyal tradition in the Central region goes back beyond the recentVietnamese monarchy to the ancient kingdom of Champa. The royal tastereveals itself in the preference for many small dishes placed on thetable at once. The more lavish the spread, the wealthier the household.However, even the poorer families are likely to have multiple dishes ofsimple vegetables.

Style of cooking

TheVietnamese cook their food in a variety of ways, from deep fry, stirfry, boil to steam. Unlike the Chinese, the Vietnamese use a minimalamount of oil while cooking. Their purpose is to preserve the freshnessand natural taste of food as much as possible. Hence, Vietnamesecuisine is often considered as one of the healthiest foods in the world.

A typical family meal

Atypical Vietnamese meal (lunch or dinner) will include steamed rice, asoup dish to eat with rice, a meat or fish dish and a vegetarian dish(either stir fried or boiled).

Vietnamesedo not eat in separate servings; however, food is placed in the middle.Each member of the family has a small bowl and chopsticks which allowhim or her to take food from the table throughout the meal.

Thoughthere were many rises and falls through the time and historical events,including cultural crosses between Vietnam and other countries,Vietnamese cuisine is always deep and strong in identity. It remindspeople of the folk creation and adaptation to nature. Increasinglyfamous worldwide restaurants have sprawled over the globe, yet, noVietnamese food abroad can equal in flavor or quality to the one madein Vietnam itself. In brief, Vietnamese cuisine depends heavily on ricegrown in water paddies throughout the country with dishes varying fromsimple everyday meals to most complex dishes designed for the King.Reaching a balance between fresh herbs and meats as well as a selectiveuse of spices, Vietnamese food can be considered one of the healthiestcuisines in the world.