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Read in Vietnamese - Bằng Tiếng Việt (Việt ngữ)

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History of Vietnamese Food

Steeped in history, Vietnamese cuisine is one of the jewels of South-east Asia. The style of cooking, which has evolved over many centuries, is a wonderful blend of Chinese and Asian spices, flavours and techniques, fused with the ingredients and traditions of classic French food. The result is a wealth of uniquely flavoured, mouthwatering dishes that almost no other country can claim. Vietnamese cuisine does share features with that of its near neighbour, particularly in the use of coconut, coconut milk and herbs and spices. The Cambodia's distinctive if lesser-known style of cooking, which reveals the influence of India, Thailand and China as well as France also influents the southern Vietnamese cuisine.

Perhaps in Vietnam, the Chinese gastronomic influence is the strongest, which was dominated or ruled by China through most of the 1st millennium AD. The degree of influence is discernible even in the manner of eating. For instance, this is the only country in the entire area of the Pacific and Southeast Asia where the food is eaten with chopsticks. Nuoc mam, a flavouring sauce, is used in many dishes, and, although it is related to the Philippine patis, it really is a specifically Vietnamese flavour, based again on fermented salted fish and spices. Almost every nation's southern inhabitants prefer their food spicier than those in the northern region, and Vietnam is no exception. The tie-in perhaps between the two regions of Vietnam is the use of fish, which is the most important part of the daily diet. The French occupation in Vietnam mostly contributed to the level of the gastronomy of the upper classes, without influencing very much of the average housewife's cooking.

Vietnam is a long, skinny country stretching from Hanoi and the Red River in the north to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and the fertile Mekong River Delta in the south. These ends are connected by a mountainous spine that runs along the South China Sea. On the west, Vietnam is bordered by Laos and Cambodia, and to the north, lies China. The food of the north, through stir-fries and noodle-based soups, shows the heavy influence of Chinese cooking. The mountainous middle section, with the former Imperial capitol, Hue, at its center, has an abundance of fresh produce. It was in Hue that royal chefs developed the more elaborate dishes of Vietnamese cuisine. The southern region is tropical, sustaining rice paddies, coconut groves, and many more spices than the north. As in the rest of Southeast Asia, there is an ancient layer of Indian cultural presence, most obviously evidenced in the religion of Buddhism (which, during the first millennium C.E., made its way along the Silk Road from India to East Asia). French colonization of Vietnam, which began in the 16th century and ended in the middle of the 20th century, also had a deep influence on Vietnamese cooking. The cuisine balances all these influences. One street vendor may noodle soup, pho bo, from his cart. The next vendor over might sell baguette smeared with one of the many ground pork concoctions known as pâtés. Both may be complemented by the ubiquitous native fish sauce (nuoc nam) or dipping sauce (nuoc cham -- made from fish sauce, water, sugar, and lime juice and seasoned with chiles and garlic).

As in many of the neighboring countries, a Vietnamese meal is rarely divided into courses. All the food is served at once and shared from common dishes. Meals are anchored by a starch, usually rice and sometimes noodles (especially in the north where grain is more prevalent than rice). The Vietnamese prefer long-grain rice to the glutinous short grain varieties preferred by northern Thai and Japanese palates. Most meals include a soup, a stir-fry, and another main dish. Often, a light salad with shrimp or beef and vegetables will accompany the meal.
Vietnamese cooking is generally not as rich or heavy as the coconut milk curries of, say, Thailand or India. All that coastline means that fish and seafood are central to the diet. Other meats -- pork, beef, and chicken -- are also common, but in smaller quantities. Vegetables are often left raw, especially in the south, to act as a fresh contrast to the spicy cooked meat. The distinct flavors of Vietnamese food come primarily from: mint leaves, coriander, lemon grass, shrimp, fish sauces (nuoc nam and nuoc cham), star anise, ginger, black pepper, garlic, basil, rice vinegar, sugar, and green onions. Many flavorful marinades are made by some combination of these flavorings. Marinated meat or fish is quickly sautéed in the wok and served with an array of raw vegetables and herbs. All this may be eaten over rice or rolled in a rice-paper wrapper or lettuce leaf (or both), then dipped into a pungent sauce.

Folk Tales

The Kitchen Gods going to heaven

There is a popular belief in Vietnam that Tao Quan, the Three Kitchen Gods, are present in the kitchen of every home. These gods observe everything that takes place there. At the end of the lunar year, on the twenty-third day of the twelfth month, they depart to Heaven to inform Ngoc Hoang, the Jade Emperor, supreme divinity of the Taoist Heaven, of their owner's affairs during the year round. On that day Tao Ouan are offered the best of food and spices and are presented with gifts of money and clothing.

Long, long ago, when Earth and Sky met in the Valley of Whispers, in the dense, green forest there lived a woodcutter and his wife. They were very poor and oftentimes the man was unable to earn enough to buy their food. Frustration and worry drove him to drink, and took the beating on his wife. She couldn't endure it any longer. One night, she fled the cottage and was never seen there again.

For days and weeks, the woman wandered in the forest. She was hungry and her feet were torn and bleeding. Finally, she came to a hunter's cabin. The owner was an honest man, who gave her food and permitted her to rest in his home. She kept house for him then, and after some time they were married. They lived together in great happiness, and it seemed that the woman had forgotten the terrors of her previous marriage.

One day while they were burning paper money and clothes to their ancestors in the yard, a beggar came in. The woman realized that the beggar was her former husband. Felt sorry for his fate, she gave him money and rice, not wanting her new husband to know. Later, the new husband was told about this and he suspected the woman's virtue. The woman, to prove her righteousness, committed suicide by jumping in to the fire. Seeing this heart-rending sight, the former husband also jumped into the fire. The new husband, regretting for what he has thought of his wife, did the same as the other two did. The Jade Emperor was so moved by their faithfulness, offered them the title of the Gods of the Kitchen.

Based on that legend, on 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, every household buys to male hats for two men and one female hat for woman, together with three fresh carps (acting as horses for the Kings). After the offering ceremony, the household owner releases the carps to the lakes or ponds nearby.

Although the Kitchen Gods fly to Heaven on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, they will return sharply on the 30th day of the same month before the last moment of the old year comes.

You probably wonder why there are three Kitchen Gods instead of just one? Well, the reason for having 3 Kitchen Gods is because the Vietnamese traditional clay stove (bê'p, lò) provides three support posts for the pots and pans. Thus we have 3 posts that are bound together at the base - a tri-deity? We don't know which started first, the legend or the stove, but the association is definitely interesting.

The Origin of Bánh Dày and Bánh Chưng

The emperor explained that his youngest son’s gifts were not only the purest, but also the most meaningful because Tiet Lieu had used mainly rice, which was the basic food source of the people. "Banh Day" symbolized heaven, and "Banh Chung" symbolized the earth. As a result, Prince Tiet Lieu was crowned the new emperor.

Once upon a time, the sixth son of King Hung Vuong the Fifth named An-Tiem disobeyed the King's order and was exiled to a deserted island.

The Prince had to build his own shelter, dig a well for water, and fish and hunt animals for food. One day, he found a green fruit as big and round as a ball. He split the fruit into halves and found the inside of the fruit red. He dared not eat it because he was afraid it was poisonous.

Days passed and the dry and sunny season came. It was so hot that all the plants were dry and the well had no water left. One day An-Tiem was so tired and thirsty that he tasted the fruit He found out that it tasted delicious and quenched his thirst. He tried to grow the plant around his house then. Soon the whole island was covered with the green fruit.

An-Tiem carved the island's name and his own on some of the fruit and threw them into the sea. Later, seamen found the strange fruit with An-Tiem's name floating in the sea.

Soon, words about the fruit reached the continent and many merchants tried to find the way the island. This then turned the deserted island into a busy island. The island was now crowded. Many boats came and went. An-Tiem helped anyone who wanted settle on the island. Soon, news about that reach the King.

King Hung Vuong was very proud of having a son who was brave and strong enough to overcome difficulties without anyone's help. An-Tiem was immediately summoned back to the court. He brought his fruit with him to offer the King, his father. The King gave him his crown and An-Tiem became King Hung Vuong VI.

Since then the fruit which was called "dua hau" and has become the symbol of luck; people often offer it to relatives and friends as a New Year present.

There were two twin brothers of the Cao family. Their names were Tan for the eldest brother, and Lang for the youngest one. They got schooling with a Taoist named Chu Chu who lived with his eighteen-year old daughter. He then married her to Tân, and the young couple lived their conjugal life happily. But, Lang found out that his brother treated him less intimately since he got married. In fact, Lang left the house wandering around the country. He reached a larger river and couldn't cross it. Not even a small boat was in the vicinity to transport him to the other side of the river. He was so sad that he kept on weeping till death and was transformed into a lime-stone lying by the river side.

Troubled by the long absence of his brother, Tân went out to look for him. When he reached the riverside he sat on the lime-stone and died by exhaustion and weariness. He was transformed into an areca tree. The young woman in turn was upset by the long absence of her husband and got out for a search. She reached the same place where the areca tree had grown, leaned against the tree and died, transformed into a plant with large piquant leaves climbing on the areca tree. Hearing of this tragic love story, local inhabitants in the area set up a temple to their memory.

One day, King Hùng went by the site and gained knowledge of this story from local people. He ordered his men to take and ground together a leaf of betel, an areca nut and a piece of lime. A juice as red as human blood was squeezed out from the melange. He tasted the juice and found it delicious. Then he recommended the use of betel chewed along with areca nut and lime at every marital ceremony. From this time on, chewing betel became a custom for Vietnamese, and very often they began their conversation with a quid of betel.

There was once a young man who had lost both his parents and was left entirely alone in the world. There was no one to keep house for him. When he returned home in the evening, tired and hungry, he had to prepare his own meal and wash his own dishes.

It was distasteful to continue living in this manner, and the young man often thought how pleasant it would be to have a helpmate. He earned so little, however, that no father would ever have considered him seriously as a prospective son-in-law.

One evening, the young man returned home to find a five meal on the table and his house in perfect order. He sat down at the table, ate the food, and went to bed wholly satisfied; still he was unable to imagine who might be taking such good care of him. In the morning, when he arose, breakfast had been prepared and was already on the table. It was all very unusual because the house had been locked during the night and he had not heard the slightest noise.

The matter continued in the same way for several days. It was evident that some unknown person was looking out for his welfare. Although grateful for the service he was receiving the young man was plagued by curiosity and greatly desired to make acquaintance of his unknown benefactor.

One morning, he pretended to depart as usual but slipped back into the house through an open window. Then he saw a wonderfully beautiful young woman step out of a picture that was hanging on the wall. She immediately set about cleaning and polishing the furniture. With a leap he locked the door and ran to the center of the room, where he grasped the young woman by the arms and held her firmly.

"Are you the one who has been preparing my meals and doing my housework?" he asked.

"I was sorry for you," she replied. "That's why I did it."

"I want you to take care of me for the rest of my life," said the young man then. "Will you marry me?"

"That would not be possible," replied the young woman. "You are a real man and I am only a portrait on the wall. We are not of the same mold."

Thereupon, the young man removed the picture from the wall and locked it in a trunk.

"You can no longer go back to the picture," he said triumphantly. "Now, will you be my wife?"

The young woman had to give her consent. They were married, lived happily together, and became the parents of three handsome sons. The man grew older with time, but his wife did not age. She always appeared just as young as the day on which she had stepped forth from the portrait.

People then began to wonder about the woman's perennial youthfulness and even her three sons showed their concern. One day, the eldest asked his father about it. At first, the father refused to answer his son's questions; but the latter persisted until told that his mother was a living picture and would never change. He refused to believe it, however, and the father became angry at his son's lack of respect.

"If you will not believe me," he said, "take a look at the frame from which your mother stepped forth."

Then he gave his son the key to the trunk in which the picture frame was kept.

Even when he had seen the frame for himself, the son refused to believe that his mother had once been a part of it. But as he did not wish to anger his father further, he waited until he had left the house before questioning his mother.

"Mother," he asked then, "Is it true that you originated from a picture?"

"Who ever told you that?" she asked in turn.

"I have seen the frame," replied the son, "but I do not believe that you were ever in it."

"Where is the frame?" asked the mother excitedly.

The son produced the key, opened the trunk, took out the frame, and handed it to his mother. She accepted it without a word and then hung it on the wall in its old place.

"Call your brothers!" she ordered.

When the mother's three sons were there with her, she spoke to them in heartrending words.

"I can no longer remain with you, my sons," she said. "I no longer belong to the world of mankind. Say farewell for me to your father, thank him for the good life he has given me, and love each other."

Having said these words, she dried her tears and stepped into the frame.

"Mother," cried the three sons, "come back!"

But the mother looked at them emotionlessly from the portrait and paid no attention to their pleas.

That evening, when the husband returned home and learned of the misfortune that had befallen his family, he wanted to hang himself from grief. But then, thinking of his sons, he reconsidered. He placed a cloth over the picture, removed it from the wall, carried it from the house, and sold it to an art dealer.

Several years later, the man married again. His second wife was of this world and cared for his children as if they were her own. She grew old naturally and finally died.

=== Note: The theme of "the secret housewife" is a recurrent one in Oriental folklore. In the story presented here, the young woman is obviously a "fairy" or immortal (tien) and comes to earth through the medium of a picture. Sometimes, she is a shape-changing fox (a fallen deity) or a celestial maiden who loses her special garment and is bound to earth until it is returned to her.

There is a long poem in Vietnamese, written by an anonymous author, entitled "Bich-Cau Ky-Ngo (The Strange Meeting at Bich-Cau)" that also makes use of this theme. The young man's name is Tu Uyen and the tien who steps out of the picture to do his housework and then to become his wife is named Giang Kieu. The poem is much elaborate than the rather simple version given here.

Once upon a time, there was a very rich man who lived in a village. When he died, he left his two sons a huge fortune. But the two brothers were entirely different. The elder was greedy, but the younger was very kind. So after the parents' death, the elder claimed the fortune and left his younger brother only star fruit tree. (A very productive tree that gives sour fruit.) The younger brother took good care of his tree, watering it every day and hoping that it would give him a lot of fruit so that he could make a living by selling it. The elder brother, on the other hand, was so happy with his inheritance that he had nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately for the younger brother, when the fruit was ripe, a raven flew by and stopped in the tree to eat it. He was very sad to see this happen every day, but he did not know what to do. So one day, he decided to stand beneath the tree an speak to the raven: "Raven, please don't eat my fruit." he called. "This fruit tree is my only fortune. If you eat the fruit, my family will starve."

"Don't worry," the raven answered. "I'll pay you back in gold. Go and make yourself a bag 60 centimeters long to keep the gold."
Hearing those words, he was very excited and told his wife to make a bag of 60 centimeters. The next day, the raven came as he had promised. He landed by the gate, let the younger brother sit on his back, and took off for a place filled with gold. There the younger brother filled the bag with gold. Then he flew back home on the raven's back. And so he became very rich. But he still loved and respected his elder brother.

So one day he told his wife to prepare a good meal for his brother and his family. But when he invited his brother, the latter refused to come at first. The brother only accepted after he had begged him again and again. When the older brother arrived at his house, he was surprised to see it all changed. It was no longer the poor house that he had seen before. So he asked his younger brother the reason. The latter told him everything that happened. After he heard it all, he offered to trade all his fortune for the fruit-tree. The kind brother gladly accepted the offer.

The raven came as usual. The greedy brother spoke to the raven the same words as his brother and received the same answer from the raven. But he was so greedy that he made a much larger bag instead of a 60 centimeter bag. The next day, the raven came to take him to place of gold. After he had filled the bag, he filled all his pockets, too, before he climbed onto the raven's back to go home. But the load was so heavy that when they flew over the sea, the raven tilted his tired wings and dropped him off into the sea. His wife and younger brother waited and waited but did not see him come back. So they decided to ask the raven and learn all the facts.

Vietnamese Dessert

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