Vietnam offers a combination of five fundamental taste elements: spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet. Much of the cuisine centers around fruit and vegetables, herbs, fish sauce and soy sauce, and rice. Here are 5 must try local delicacies in Vietnam.
What list of Vietnamese cuisine would be complete without pho? It’s almost impossible to walk a block in Vietnam’s major cities without bumping into a crowd of hungry patrons slurping noodles at a makeshift pho stand.
This simple staple consisting of a salty broth, fresh rice noodles, a sprinkling of herbs and chicken or beef, features predominately in the local diet — and understandably so. It’s cheap, tasty, and widely available at all hours.
Rice paper roll is a Vietnamese dish traditionally consisting of pork, prawn, vegetables, rice vermicelli, and other ingredients wrapped in Vietnamese rice paper. /Fresh Rice Paper Roll have gained popularity among Vietnam’s neighboring countries and in the western hemisphere as well. These rolls are considered to be a very popular appetizer among customers in Vietnamese restaurants.
These well-known rolled appetizers are often deep fried and filled with a variety of herbs and meat, though fillings largely vary according to the region. Without a doubt visitors should be sure to try the Vietnamese specialty as I can guarantee its much more the ‘real deal’ than what you will get back home!
A good banh xeo is a crispy crepe bulging with pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts, plus the garnish of fresh herbs that are characteristic of most authentic Vietnamese dishes.
To enjoy one like a local, cut it into manageable slices, roll it up in rice paper or lettuce leaves and dunk it in whatever special sauce the chef has mixed up for you.
Bun Bo Hue originated in the old imperial capital of Central Vietnam, Hue. The broth is prepared by cooking beef bones for a long period of time, as well as a large variety of different spices including lemon grass and chili. Shrimp paste is also a very important ingredient.
This cuisine usually includes thin slices of marinated beef shank, chunks of well-cooked oxtail, and pig’s knuckles or pork. It can also include cubes of congealed pig blood, which has a color between dark brown and maroon, and a texture resembling gelatin.
