Vietnamese spices and herbs praised in foreign newspapers

It is the herbs that create the uniqueness of Vietnamese dishes, this is shown right in the sandwich when combining pickles, coriander with pate.

The importance of spices and herbs, whether in the North or the South, Vietnamese cuisine always has a different flavor from the specialties of neighboring countries. Graham Holliday, author of the book Eating Vietnam, said that this is thanks to the herbs of the local people, according to The Diplomat.

Countless types of herbs are found along the S-shaped strip of land, many of which are unique to a particular town, village or region. Herbs are present in most daily meals. Northerners tend to use fewer herbs when preparing dishes than Southerners, typically the Trang Bang people's rice paper dish can use up to 8 to 10 types of herbs.

The rice paper dish is served with many kinds of herbs. Photo: Phan Thi Huong Ly.

Mark Lowerson, owner of the Hanoi Street Food Tours food blog, believes that herbs in Vietnamese cuisine are the factor that highlights the flavor of each dish. Herbs in each dish will change according to the season and locality. According to the blogger, Vietnamese food is less greasy, very good for health and more nutritious than food from other countries in the region. Vietnamese people pay great attention to the balance of the dish, in general there are four main flavors in Vietnamese cuisine: salty, sweet, sour and spicy. However, the spiciness often depends on each person, the dish will not have a pure spicy taste but chili or pepper will be added by the diner himself.

Herbs and spices in dishes vary by region.

Mr. Holliday commented that Southern cuisine has many innovative features and debatably complex flavors. He also said that Saigon cuisine is more diverse than Hanoi.

Factors that contribute to the differences in taste include the weather and soil structure of each region. The available ingredients greatly affect the eating habits and seasoning of local people. For example, when preparing fish noodle soup, if Hanoians and residents in coastal provinces only use freshwater fish, while sea fish is of course always the choice of coastal people.

Southern pho is often rich in spices and herbs, while in Hanoi, this is considered "lacking sophistication," Mark Lowerson commented.

A bowl of traditional Hanoi beef noodle soup.

In addition, northern cuisine tends to moderate the salty, sweet, sour, spicy flavors and herbs more than the regions further inland. Mr. Holliday said that Hanoians would say that their dishes have the true traditional flavor, or that Hanoi is the cradle of Vietnamese cuisine, especially pho.

Street food

Eating Vietnam author suggests that tourists should trust the choices of the locals. If many people come to eat at a roadside stall, it must be a good brand. If the owner only sells one dish, it must be the best dish they cook. Far-away diners should put aside their prejudices about street food or they will miss out on the best dishes in Vietnam. Bun mam, banh xeo, hu tieu are dishes that tourists can try in the South, while in the North there is bun cha.

Banh mi is a combination of French cuisine (bread, pate) and Vietnamese cuisine when using vegetables such as pickles and coriander. Photo: BBC.

Mark Lowerson agrees with the above advice and does not forget to remind tourists that the first time they try street food, they may be discouraged. However, only when eating at a sidewalk restaurant, tourists have the opportunity to see how the seller prepares the food, how the food is presented step by step, and learn most clearly how the locals enjoy traditional dishes. "If you like a certain restaurant, be bold to go in and show your enjoyment when ordering. Once you do that, people will be extremely generous."

According to vnexpress.net