|
| |
|
FOOD AND DRINK |
| |
|
|
| |
Though closely related to Chinese cuisine, Vietnamese food is quite
distinct, using herbs and seasoning rather than sauces, and favouring
boiled or steamed dishes over stir-fries. The usual basic health
precautions apply when eating out in Vietnam .
Where to eat
The cheapest and most fun places to eat are the street kitchens ,
which range from makeshift food stalls set up on the street, to open-fronted
eating houses. They are permanent, with an address if not a name, and
most specialize in one type of food, generally indicated on a signboard,
or offer the ubiquitous com pho rice dishes and noodle soups. Com binh
dan , "people's meals", comprise an array of prepared dishes like
stuffed tomatoes, fried fish, tofu, pickles and eggs, plus rice; expect
to pay from around $1 for a good plateful. Outside the major cities,
street kitchens rarely stay open beyond 8pm.
Western-style Vietnamese restaurants ( nha hang) have chairs and menus
and usually serve a wide range of meat and fish dishes. Menus often
don't show prices and overcharging is a regular problem. Peanuts, hot
towels and tissues on the table will be added to the bill even if
untouched; ask for them to be taken away if you don't want them. A
modest meal for two will cost roughly $8-10 (112,000-140,000d). The more
expensive restaurants tend to stay open until 9.30 or 10.30pm, have
menus priced in dollars and, in some cases, accept credit cards; a meal
for two will cost at least $10.
Catering primarily to budget travellers, travellers' cafés tend to serve
mediocre Western and Vietnamese dishes, from banana pancakes to steak
and chips or fried noodles - and usually open from 7am to 11pm. They're
mainly found in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hoi An, Hué, Nha Trang and Da Lat.
Vietnamese food
The staple of Vietnamese meals is rice , with noodles a popular
alternative. Typically, rice will be accompanied by a fish or meat dish,
a vegetable dish and soup. Even in the south, Vietnamese food tends not
to be overly spicy as chilli sauces are served separately. Vietnam's
most popular seasoning is nuoc mam, a fermented fish sauce. The use of
monosodium glutamate ( MSG ) can be excessive, and what looks like salt
on the table may be MSG, so taste it first. You can try asking for no
MSG in your food: khong co my chinh.
The most famous Vietnamese dish has to be spring rolls , known as cha
gio, cha nem, nem ran or just plain nem. Various combinations of minced
pork, shrimp or crab, rice vermicelli, onions and beansprouts are rolled
in rice-paper wrappers, and then eaten fresh or deep-fried. The other
great staple is pho (pronounced "fur"), a noodle soup eaten at any time
of day but primarily at breakfast. The basic bowl of pho consists of a
light beef broth flavoured with ginger and coriander, to which are added
broad, flat rice-noodles, spring onions and slivers of chicken, pork or
beef. Lau is more of a main meal than a soup, where the vegetable broth
arrives at the table in a steamboat (a ring-shaped dish on live coals or,
nowadays, often electrically heated) and you cook slivers of beef or
prawns in it, and then afterwards drink the flavourful liquid that's
left in the pot.
Most restaurants offer a few meat-free dishes, ranging from stewed
spinach or similar greens, to a mix of onion, tomato, beansprouts,
various mushrooms and peppers; places used to foreigners may be able to
do vegetarian spring rolls ( nem an chay, or nem khong co thit). At
street kitchens you're likely to find tofu and one or two dishes of
pickled vegetables. However, soups are usually made with beef stock,
morsels of pork fat sneak into many dishes and animal fat tends to be
used for frying. The phrase to remember is an chay (vegetarian), or seek
out a vegetarian rice shop ( tiem com chay). On the 1st and 14th/15th
days of every lunar month many Vietnamese spurn meat so you'll find more
veggie options on these days.
Vietnam is blessed with dozens of tropical and temperate fruits .
Pineapple, coconut, papaya, mangoes, longan and mangosteen flourish in
the south. Da Lat is famous for its strawberries, but a fruit you might
want to give a miss is the durian, a spiky, yellow-green football-sized
fruit with an unmistakably pungent odour reminiscent of mature cheese
and caramel, but tasting like an onion-laced custard.
Drinks
Giai khat means "quench your thirst" and you'll see the signs everywhere.
The simple rule is don't drink the water in Vietnam, and avoid ice in
your drinks - dung bo da, cam on (no ice, thanks). Contaminated water
causes diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, typhoid, cholera, dysentery,
poliomyelitis, hepatitis A and giardia. Particular care should be taken
anywhere where there is flooding as raw sewage may be washed into the
water system. However, most guesthouses and hotels provide thermos
flasks of boiled water, hot tea is always on offer, and cheap, bottled
water ($1 or less per litre) and carbonated drinks are widely available.
When buying bottled water check the seal is unbroken.
Other good thirst-quenchers include fresh coconut milk, orange and lime
juices , and sugar-cane juice ( mia da). Somewhere between a drink and a
snack is chè , sold in glasses at the markets. It's made from taro flour
and green bean, and served over ice with chunks of fruit, coloured
jellies and even sweetcorn or potato. Small cups of refreshing, strong,
green tea are presented to all guests or visitors in Vietnam: the well-boiled
water is safe to drink. The Vietnamese drink coffee very strong and in
small quantities, with a large dollop of condensed milk at the bottom of
the cup.
Several foreign beers are brewed under licence in Vietnam, but good
local brews include 333 (Ba Ba Ba) and Bivina. Bia hoi ("fresh" or
draught beer) is served warm from the keg and then poured over ice. Its
quality varies, but it's unadulterated with chemicals. Bia hoi has a 24-hour
shelf life, which means the better places sell out by early evening.
There are dozens of bia hoi outlets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, ranging
from a few ankle-high stools gathered round a barrel on the pavement to
beer gardens; most offer snacks of some sort. The stronger, pricier bia
tuoi comes in a light or dark brew and is served from pressurized
barrels. The most common local wine is rice alcohol ; the ethnic
minorities drink stem alcohol ( ruou can).
A glossary of food and drink
Some names differ between north (N) and south (S)
|
| |
|
