Most Vietnamese eat rice three times a day. Rice is served in small individual bowls accompanied with communal dishes of meat, vegetables, soup and condiments such as fermented fish sauce (Nouc mam), peanut sauce and shrimp paste.
Vietnam's dishes vary from region to region.
- Northern dishes are similar to Chinese dishes and are often stir-fried.
- Central coastal region features seafood.
- Southern food uses fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits.
Some popular Vietnamese foods are
- Pho (pronounced fuh): a noodle soup spiced with fresh herbs and served with chicken, pork or beef. This is Vietnamese fast food.
- Banh xeo (pronounced bahn say-oh): pan-fried crepe made from rice flour stuffed with prawns, pork, garlic, shallots, lettuce and bean sprouts and served with a spicy sauce
- Cha gio (pronounced chay yaw): deep-fried eggroll stuffed with pork, crab, shrimp, yam, rice vermicelli, "wood ear" mushrooms and other ingredients
- Goi cuon: fresh transparent rice paper rolls stuffed with shrimp, pork, rice vermicelli, herbs and other ingredients dipped in peanut sauce or an orangey-brown sauce called Nuoc cham
Vietnamese desserts include fried sweet potatoes and banana fritters; pudding made from beans and sticky rice; and sweet soups made from coconut milk and fruits.
|
|
|
