Vietnamese Cuisine.

1. Vietnamese
Cuisine

2. • Each Vietnamese
dish has a
distinctive flavor
which reflects one
or more of these
elements.

3. Common ingredients:
fish sauce
shrimp paste
soy sauce
rice

4. Common ingredients:
fresh herbs
fruit
vegetables

5. • Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired
for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of dairy and
oil, complementary textures, and reliance on
herbs and vegetables.
• With the balance between fresh herbs and meats
and a selective use of spices to reach a fine taste,
Vietnamese food is considered one of the
healthiest cuisines worldwide

6. Philosophical importance
• As the people respect
balance rules,
Vietnamese cuisine
always has the
combination between:
–fragrant
–Taste
–color.

7. Philosophical importance
• Vietnamese cuisine always has five
elements which are known for its
balance in each of these features.
• Many Vietnamese dishes include five
fundamental taste senses (ngũ vị),
corresponding to five organs (ngũ
tạng).

8. Many Vietnamese dishes include five
fundamental taste senses (ngũ vị):
spicy (metal)
sour (wood)
bitter (fire)
salty (water)
sweet (earth),
Philosophical importance

9. Corresponding to five organs (ngũ tạng):
gall bladder
small intestine
large intestine
stomach
urinary bladder.
Philosophical importance

10. Vietnamese dishes also include
five types of nutrients (ngũ chất):
Powder
water or liquid
mineral elements
protein and fat.
Philosophical importance

11. Vietnamese cooks try to have
five colors (ngũ sắc)
Philosophical importance
white (metal)
green (wood)
yellow (earth)
red (fire)
black (water)

12. Dishes in Vietnam appeal to
gastronomes via the five senses:
Philosophical importance
food arrangement attracts eyes
sounds come from crisp ingredients
five spices are detected on the tongue
aromatic ingredients coming mainly from herbs stimulate the
nose
and some meals, especially finger food that can be perceived
by touching

13. Five-element correspondence
Philosophical importance
ELEMENTS
WOOD FIRE EARTH METAL WATER
Sour SaltySpicySweetBitterSPICES
ORGANS
COLORS
SENSES
NUTRIENTS
Gall bladder Stomach
Small
Intestine
Large
Intestine
Urinary bladder
Green YellowRed White Black
Visual Taste Touch Smell Sound
Carbohydrate
s
Fat Protein Minerals Water
CORRESPONDENCE

14. REGIONAL VARIATIONS

15. The mainstream culinary traditions in all
three regions of Vietnam share some
fundamental features:
• Freshness of food: Most meats are only briefly cooked.
Vegetables are eaten fresh; if they are cooked, they are boiled
or only briefly stir-fried.
• Presence of herbs and vegetables: Herbs and vegetables are
essential to many Vietnamese dishes and are often
abundantly used.
• Variety and harmony of textures: Crisp with soft, watery with
crunchy, delicate with rough.
• Broths or soup-based dishes are common in all three regions.
• Presentation: The condiments accompanying Vietnamese
meals are usually colorful and arranged in eye-pleasing
manners.

16. Northern
• In northern Vietnam, a colder climate limits the
production and availability of spices. As a result, the
foods there are often less spicy than those in other
regions.
• Black pepper is used in place of chilis as the most
popular ingredient to produce spicy flavors. In general,
northern Vietnamese cuisine is not bold in any
particular taste — sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, or sour.
• Most northern Vietnamese foods feature light and
balanced flavors that result from subtle combinations
of many different flavoring ingredients.
Regional variations

17. • The use of meats such as pork, beef, and chicken
were relatively limited in the past.
• Freshwater fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, such as
prawns, squids, shrimps, crabs, clams, and mussels,
are widely used.
• Many notable dishes of northern Vietnam are crab-
centered (e.g., bún riêu). Fish sauce, soy sauce,
prawn sauce, and limes are among the main
flavoring ingredients.
Regional variations

18. • Being the cradle of Vietnamese civilization,northern
Vietnam produces many signature dishes of
Vietnam, such as bún riêu and bánh cuốn, which
were carried to central and southern Vietnam
through Vietnamese migration.
• Other famous Vietnamese dishes that originated
from the North, particularly from Hanoi include
"bun cha" (rice noodle with grilled marinated pork),
pho ga (rice noodle with chicken), cha ca La Vọng
(rice noodle with grilled fish).
Regional variations

19. Central
• The abundance of spices produced by central
Vietnam’s mountainous terrain makes this
region’s cuisine notable for its spicy food,
which sets it apart from the two other regions
of Vietnam where foods are mostly not spicy.
• Once the capital of the last dynasty of
Vietnam, Hue's culinary tradition features
highly decorative and colorful food, reflecting
the influence of ancient Vietnamese royal
cuisine.
Regional variations

20. • The region’s cuisine is also notable for its
sophisticated meals consisting of many
complex dishes served in small portions.
• Chili peppers and shrimp sauces are
among the frequently used ingredients.
Some Vietnamese signature dishes
produced in central Vietnam are bun bo
Hue and banh khoai.
Regional variations

21. Southern
• The warm weather and fertile soil of
southern Vietnam create an ideal
condition for growing a wide variety of
fruits, vegetables, and livestock.
• As a result, foods in southern Vietnam
are often vibrant and flavorful, with
liberal uses of garlic, shallots, and fresh
herbs.
Regional variations

22. Southern
• Sugar is added to food more than in the
other regions.
• The preference for sweetness in southern
Vietnam can also be seen through the
widespread use of coconut milk in
southern Vietnamese cuisine.
• Vast shorelines make seafood a natural
staple for people in this region.
Regional variations

23. Typical Vietnamese family meal:
• Large bowl/pot/cooker of steamed long-
grain white rice
• Individual bowls of rice
• Fish/seafood, meat, tofu (grilled, boiled,
steamed, stewed or stir-fried with
vegetables)
• A stir-fry dish

24. Typical Vietnamese family meal:
• Raw, pickled, steamed, or fresh
vegetables
• Canh (a clear broth with vegetables and
often meat or seafood) or other soup
• Prepared fish sauce for dipping, to which
garlic, pepper, chili, ginger, or lime juice
are sometimes added according to taste

25. Typical Vietnamese family meal:
• Dipping sauces and condiments depending
on the main dishes, such as pure fish sauce,
ginger fish sauce, tamarind fish sauce, soy
sauce, muối tiêu chanh (salt and pepper with
lime juice) or muối ớt (salt and chili)
• Small dish of relishes, such as salted
eggplant, pickled white cabbage, pickled
papaya, pickled garlic or pickled bean sprouts
• Fresh fruits or desserts, such as chè

26. Typical Vietnamese family meal:
• All dishes except individual bowls of rice are
communal and are to be shared in the middle of
the table. It is also customary for the younger to
ask/wait for the elders to eat first and the women
sit right next to the rice pot to serve rice for other
people. They also pick up food for each other as an
action of care.

27. Imperial cuisine
• In the Nguyễn dynasty, the 50 best chefs from all
over the kingdom were selected for the Thượng
Thiện board to serve the king. There were three
meals per day - 12 dishes at breakfast and 66 dishes
for lunch and dinner (including 50 main dishes and
16 sweets).
• An essential dish was bird's nest soup (tổ yến).
Other dishes included shark fin (vi cá), abalone(bào
ngư), deer's tendon (gân nai), bears' hands (tay
gấu), and rhinoceros' skin (da tê giác).

28. Imperial cuisine
• Water had to come from the Hàm Long well, the Báo
Quốc pagoda, the Cam Lồ well (near the base of Thúy
Vân mountain), or from the source of the Hương River.
• Rice was the de variety from the An Cựu imperial rice
field. Phước Tích clay pots for cooking rice were used
only a single time before disposal.
• No one was allowed to have any contact with the
cooked dishes except for the cooks and Thượng Thiện
board members. The dishes were first served to
eunuchs, then the king's wives, after which they were
offered to the king. The king enjoyed meals (ngự thiện)
alone in a comfortable, music-filled space

30. Condiments
• Vietnamese usually use raw
vegetables, rau sống, or rau ghém
(sliced vegetable) as condiments for
their dishes to combine properly with
each main dish in flavour.
• Dishes in which rau sống is
indispensable are bánh xèo and hot
pot.

31. Condiments
• The vegetables principally are
herbs and wild edible vegetables
gathered from forests and family
gardens. Leaves and buds are the
most common parts of vegetables
used. Most of the vegetables have
medicinal value

32. Pairing
• Chicken dishes are combined with
lime leaves.
• Crab and seashell dishes are
combined with fishy-smelling herb and
perilla.
• Dishes reputed as "cold" or "fishy-
smelling", such as catfish, clams, or
snails, are combined with ginger or
lemongrass

33. FOOD COLORINGS
Traditionally, the colouring of Vietnamese
food comes from natural ingredients,
however today there's an increase in the use
of artificial food dye agents for food
colouring, in Vietnam

34. • Red - usually from beetroot or by
frying annatto seed to make oil (dầu
điều)
• Yellow - from turmeric
• Green - from pandan leaf or katuk
• Dark brown - for stew dishes, uses
nước màu or nước hàng, which is
made by heating sugar to the
temperature above that of caramel
(170 °C)

35. • Black - in gai cake is from ramie leaf (Chinese
grass) (lá gai)
– In Vietnam, ramie leaves are called "cây lá gai," which is
a main ingredient in making "bánh gai" or "bánh ít lá
gai," a Vietnamese glutinous rice cake. The leaves give
the cake its distinct color, flavor and fragrance.

36. • Purple - from magenta plant (lá cẩm)
–An extract of its leaves is used as a food dye, and
imparts a magenta tone to some Vietnamese
foods, particularly in a taro-filled cake called bánh
da lợn and glutinous rice dishes such as xôi lá
cẩm, a sweet dessert.

37. • Orange - for sticky rice, comes from gac
– Gac is a fruit produced by Momordica cochinchinensis,
which is found throughout the Southeast Asian region
from South China to Northeastern Australia, including
Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam

38. Herbs and spices
• Coriander and green onion leaves
can be found in most Vietnamese
dishes.
• A basic technique of stir-frying
vegetable is frying garlic or shallot
with oil before putting the
vegetable into the pan.

39. Herbs and spices
• In northern Vietnam, dishes with fish may
be garnished with dill.
• In central Vietnam, the mixture of ground
lemongrass and chili pepper is frequently
used in dishes with beef.
• In southern Vietnam, coconut water is used
in most stew dishes.

40. Herbs and spices
• The pair culantro (ngò gai) and rice
paddy herb (ngò om or ngổ) is
indispensable in all kinds of sour soups
in the southern Vietnam.
• Spearmint is often used with strongly
fishy dishes.
• Perilla is usually used with crab dishes.

41. POPULAR DISHES
When Vietnamese dishes are referred to in English, it is
generally by the Vietnamese name without the diacritics.
Some dishes have gained descriptive English names, as well.

42. Phở
• A noodle soup with a rich, clear broth made from
a long boiling of meat and spices, its many
varieties are made with different meats (most
commonly beef or chicken) along with beef
meatballs.
• Phở is typically served in bowls with spring
onion, (in phở tái) slices of semicooked beef (to
be cooked by the boiling hot broth), and broth.
• In the south, bean sprouts and various herbs are
also added.

44. Bún măng vịt
•Bamboo shoots
and duck
noodle soup

46. Bún Ốc
• Vermicelli with snails (sea
snails similar to the snails
in French cuisine).
• Bún ốc ("snail vermicelli
soup") is a dish of Hanoi,
Vietnam. Roasted snails, ốc
luộc, may be eaten first as
an appetizer.

48. Bánh canh
• A thick tapioca/rice
noodle soup with a
simple broth, often
includes pork, crab,
chicken, shrimp,
spring onions and
fresh onions
sprinkled on top

50. Bún riêu
• A noodle soup made of
thin rice noodles, topped
with crab and shrimp
paste, served in a tomato-
based broth and garnished
with bean sprouts, prawn
paste, herb leaves,
tamarind/lime, tofu, water
spinach, and chunks of
tomato

52. Mì bò viên
• A Chinese-
influenced egg
noodle soup
with beef
meatballs and
raw steak, with
chives and
roasted shallot

54. Mì vįt tiềm
•Yellow noodle soup
with roasted duck
and Chinese broccoli

56. Bún bò Huế
•Spicy beef
noodle soup
originated from
the royal city of
Huế in Central
Vietnam.

57. Bún bò Huế
• Beef bones, fermented
shrimp paste,
lemongrass, and dried
chilies give the broth
its distinctive flavors.
Often served with mint
leaves, bean sprouts,
and lime wedges.

58. Bún bò Huế
•Pig's feet are
also
common
ingredients
at some
restaurants.

60. SOUP AND CHÁO (CONGEES)

61. Súp măng cua
• Asparagus and crab soup typically served as
the first dish at banquets.

63. Lẩu (Vietnamese hot pot)
• A spicy variation of the Vietnamese sour soup
with assorted vegetables, meats, seafood, and
spicy herbs

65. Cháo
• A variation of congee, it uses a
variety of different broths and
meats, including duck, offal, fish,
etc. When chicken is used, it is
called cháo gà.

67. Cháo lòng
•Rice porridge with pork
intestine, liver, gizzard,
heart, and kidney

69. Bò kho
•Beef stew with carrots,
usually served with
toasted bread or rice
noodles

71. Canh chua
•Vietnamese sour soup –
typically includes fish,
pineapples, tomatoes, herbs,
beansprouts, tamarind, and
various kinds of vegetables

73. STICKY RICE DISHES

74. Bánh chưng
• Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and
stuffed with mung bean paste, lean pork and
black pepper, it is traditionally eaten during
the Lunar New Year(Tết). Bánh chưng is
popular in the North, while the similar bánh
tét is more popular in the South. Bánh tét has
the same content, except is cylindrical in
shape, and lean pork is substituted with fatty
pork.

76. BÁNH
The Vietnamese name for pastries is bánh. Many of the pastries are
wrapped in various leaves (bamboo, banana, dong, gai) and boiled or
steam. One of the historic dishes, dating to the mythical founding of the
Vietnamese state is square "cake" (bánh chưng). As it is a savory dish
and thus not a true pastry, bánh chưng and the accompanying bánh dày
are laden with heaven and earth symbolism. These dishes are
associated with offerings around the Vietnamese New Year (Tết).
Additionally, as a legacy of French colonial rule and influence, bûche de
Noëlis a popular dessert served during the Christmas season.

77. Bánh bèo
• A central Vietnamese dish, it consists of tiny,
round, rice flour pancakes, each served in a
similarly shaped dish. They are topped with
minced shrimp and other ingredients, such as
chives, fried shallots, and pork rinds.

79. Bánh Nậm
• A Huế food, it is a flat steamed rice
dumpling made of rice flour,
shallots, shrimp, and seasoned with
pepper. It is wrapped and cooked in
banana leaves and served with fish
sauce.

81. Bánh xèo
• A flat pan-fried cake made of rice flour with
turmeric, shrimp with shells on, slivers of fatty
pork, sliced onions, and sometimes button
mushrooms, fried in oil, usually coconut oil,
which is the most popular oil used in Vietnam.
It is eaten with lettuce and various local herbs
and dipped in nước chấm or sweet fermented
peanut butter sauce. Rice papers are
sometimes used as wrappers to contain banh
xeo and the accompanying vegetables.

83. Bánh bột chiên (fried rice flour cake)
• A Chinese-influenced pastry, it exists in
many versions all over Asia; the
Vietnamese version features a special
tangy soy sauce on the side, rice flour
cubes with fried eggs (either duck or
chicken), and some vegetables. This is a
popular after-school snack for young
students in southern Vietnam.

85. Bánh bột lọc
• A Huế food, it consists of tiny rice
dumplings made in a clear rice-flour
batter, often in a small, flattish, tube
shape, stuffed with shrimp and ground
pork. It is wrapped and cooked inside a
banana leaf, served often as Vietnamese
hors d'œuvres at more casual buffet-type
parties.

87. SANDWICHES AND PASTRIES

88. Bánh mì kẹp thịt
• Vietnamese baguette or French bread is
traditionally filled with pâté, Vietnamese
mayonnaise, cold cuts, jalapeños, pickled white
radish, pickled carrot, and cucumber slices. While
traditional cold cuts include ham, head cheese, and
Vietnamese bologna, varieties of stuffing such as
eggs, canned sardines, shredded pork, fried tofu,
and grilled meats are common. Sandwiches are
often garnished with coriander leaves and black
pepper.

90. Bánh Pâté chaud
• A French-inspired meat-filled
pastry, it is characterized by flaky
crust and either pork or chicken
as the filling.

92. MEAT DISHES

93. Bò kho (meat soup)
• A beef and vegetable stew, it is
often cooked with warm, spicy
herbs and served very hot with
French baguettes for dipping. In
northern Vietnam, it is known as bò
sốt vang.

95. Bò lúc lắc (shaking beef)
• French-influenced dish of beef
cut into cubes and marinated,
served over greens (usually
watercress), and sautéed
onions and tomatoes, eaten
with rice

97. DESSERTS

98. Chè
• A sweet dessert beverage or pudding,
it is usually made from beans and
sticky rice. Many varieties of chè are
available, each with different fruits,
beans (for example, mung beans or
kidney beans), and other ingredients.
Chè can be served hot or cold and
often with coconut milk.

100. Rau câu
• This popular gelatin dessert cake is made with
agar and flavored with coconut milk, pandan
or other flavors. Because the gelatin is firm in
texture compared to American gelatin,
Vietnamese gelatin can be layered and shaped
into intricate cakes. The gelatin is often called
sương sa.

102. Bánh flan
•Influenced by French
cuisine and served with
caramel or coffee sauce

104. DUMPLINGS

105. Bánh rán
• deep-fried glutinous rice
sesame balls filled with
sweetened mung bean paste;
from northern Vietnam

107. Banh Phu
• literally "husband and wife
cake"; a sweet cake made of rice
or tapioca flour and gelatin,
filled with mung bean paste;
also spelled bánh xu xê