Vietnamese Cuisine

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Vietnamese Cuisine
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Vietnamese Cuisine

• Cuisine translates to am thuc
• Am drink
• Thuc food

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Vietnamese Cuisine

• Rice (com) staple food
• One of the major producers in the world
• Famous for noodle dishes
• Meal relies mainly on rice and vegetables rather
  than meat
• Fish sauce and or soy sauce used in most dishes

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Vietnamese Cuisine

• Separated into three regions
• All emphasize serving fresh vegetables and or
  fresh herbs along with dipping sauce
• Common meats pork, beef, prawns, various
  tropical fish, and chicken

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Northern Region

• Birthplace of many famous dishes such as pho
• Foods served warm or hot are preferred due to
  cold weather
• Stir fry and simmer rather than deep fry
• Salty tasting foods

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Northern Region

• Does not use as many herbs and vegetables as the
  central and southern parts
• Black pepper is used more often than chilies
• Use soy sauce more than fish sauce
• Strong Chinese influence

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Central Region

• Known for its sophisticated style of cooking
• Link to the imperial kitchens of the Nguyen
  Emperors in Hue
• Use of many small side dishes
• The more dishes on the table the wealthier the
  household
• Use of fish sauce
• Most colorful and spicy

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Southern Region

• Tropical climate
• Cooking is simpler
• Combination of sweet and sour flavors

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Southern Region

• Use more chilies than the north
• Use fish sauce
• Many dishes adopted from the French
• Pastries
• Curries influenced by India

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Popular Dishes

• Pho beef noodle soup
• Banh Mi Thit Vietnamese sandwich
• French bread containing pate, Vietnamese
  mayonnaise, different selections of Vietnamese
  cold meats, pickled diakon and carrots, and
  cucumber slices
• Often garnished with coriander, black pepper, and
  jalapeno pepper
• Spring rolls or Egg rolls
• Deep fried flour rolls filled with pork meat,
  Vietnamese yam, crab, shrimp, and mushrooms
• Goi Vietnamese salad

Goi
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Condiments

• Hoisin sauce (uong den) Chinese dipping sauce
• For spring rolls and BBQ pork
• Nuoc cham Dipping Sauce
• Fish sauce, chili peppers, sugar, lime or lemon
  juice or vinegar, and garlic
• Soy sauce
• Fish sauce

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Noodle Soups

• Wide variety of noodle soups
• Influences from all regions
• Each with distinct and special taste
• Common characteristic is rich and tasty broth
• Clear broths are low fat low calories

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Vegetables

• Chayote (su su)
• Cucumber (dua chuot)
• Eggplant (ca or ca tim)
• Daikon (cu cai trang)
• Water spinach (rau muong)

• Bok choy
• Carrots (ca rot)
• Cauliflower (hoa lo)
• Cabbage (cai)
• Bitter melon (muop dang)

Bok Choy
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Fruits

• Durian (sau rieng)
• Jackfruit (mit)
• Lychee (vai)
• Longan (nhan)
• Rambutan (chom chom)
• Mango (xoai)
• Mangosteen (mang cut)
• Guava (oi)

• Soursop (mang cau xiem)
• Custard Apple (binh bat)
• Star Fruit (khe)
• Watermelon (dua hau)
• Sapodilla (hong xiem or xa po che)
• Pomelo (buoi)
• Persimmon (hong)
• Papaya (du du)

Star Fruit
Mangosteen
Sapodilla
Longans
Rambutan
Jack Fruit
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Mangosteen

• Compare to the Japanese persimmon or a small
  tomato
• Sweet/sour taste

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Rambutan

• AKA Hairy Cherry
• Originated from Malaysia
• Grows in bunches on tall trees
• Turns red when ripe
• Rich source of Vit. C

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Sapodilla

• Originates from Central America
• Sweet molasses-like flavor when ripe

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Longan

• Long nhan means dragon eye
• Meat is translucent white
• Juicy and sweet
• Cooked in water to make the drink nuoc long nhan
• Good source of potassium and low in calories

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Herbs

• Added to foods as they are served
• Provides distinctive flavors
• Adds color

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Herbs

• Rau que (basil)
• Cay xa (lemon grass)
• Ngo gai (saw leaf herb)
• Ngo Om (rice paddy herb)
• Rau ram (Vietnamese coriander)

• Hung que (Thai basil)
• Rau ngo (coriander)
• Rau bac ha (mint)
• Giap ca or diep ca (Houttuynia cordata)
• Tia to (Perilla)

Basil
Coriander
Lemon Grass
Mint
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Typical Family Meal

• Individual bowls of rice
• A roasted meat or fish dish
• A stir-fried vegetable dish
• Vietnamese-style soup
• Prepared fish sauce and or soy sauce for dipping

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Meal Time

• No particular foods for breakfast, lunch, or
  dinner
• Soups are often consumed at every meal
• Traditional breakfast is large
• Soup with rice noodles topped with meat or
• Boiled egg with meat and pickled veggies on
  French bread
• Strong coffee
• Lunch and Dinner
• Rice, fish or meat, vegetable dish, and a broth
  with vegetables or meat.

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Food Habits in the US

• Eat more bread or instant noodles
• More cereal at breakfast
• More meat and poultry, less fish and shellfish
• Fewer bananas and more oranges, fruit juices, and
  soft drinks
• Youth will increase dairy consumption
• Intake of baked goods increases
• Soda intake increases
• Use of butter and margarine increases

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My Pyramid Activity

• Design a one-day menu with breakfast, lunch, and
  dinner with all Vietnamese foods

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My Pyramid Activity

• What food groups do the menu items fall into?

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Tips to Get the Best Nutrition

• Make half your grains whole
• Vary your veggies
• Focus on fruit
• Get your calcium rich foods
• Go lean with protein

What are the strengths of the Vietnamese
Diet? What can be improved?
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Strengths

• Strengths
• Includes a considerable amount of fruits,
  vegetables and fish
• Low in fat and calories
• Stir-fry, simmering, and steaming cooking methods
• Use little oil
• Meat as a condiment instead of main course

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Ways to Improve

• Ways to Improve
• Brown rice instead of white rice
• Incorporate more calcium-rich foods
• Calcium fortified soy products such as milk and
  tofu
• Leafy green vegetables
• Monitor sodium intake (ex- fish sauce and soy
  sauce)

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Vietnamese Cuisine Popularity

• Widely available
• Australia, US, Canada, France, Czech Republic,
  Germany, Poland, and Russia
• Popular with dense Asian populations

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"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently
is an art."- La Rochefoucauld
This material was produced by the California
Department of Public Health, Network for a
Healthy California, with funding from the USDA
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(formerly the Food Stamp Program). These
institutions are equal opportunity providers and
employers. In California, food stamps provide
assistance to low-income households, and can help
buy nutritious foods for better health. For food
stamp information, call 877-847-3663. For
important nutrition information visit
www.cachampionsforchange.net.