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Philosophical influences on Vietnamese cuisine

Vietnam Cuisine Healthy Vietnamese Cuisine

Cooking Techniques Typical Vietnamese Family Meals Vietnamese Feast Phylosophical Influences on Vietnamese Cuisines

Yin Yang balance

The principle of yin and yang is applied in selecting the ingredients of a dish and the dishes of a meal, in matching dishes with seasonal or climatic conditions, with the prevalent environment and with the current physical well-being of the diners.

Some examples are:

• Duck meat is considered as "cool" so is served in summer, which is hot, and with ginger fish sauce which is "warm", while chicken which is "warm" and pork which is "hot" are used in cold winters.
• Seafood ranging from "cool" to "cold" are suitable to use with ginger ("warm").
• Spicy, which is extremely yang, must be harmonized by sour, which is extremely yin.
• Balut ("cold") must be combined with Vietnamese mint ("hot").
• Cold and flu patients must drink ginger water ("hot").

Five element correspondence

Vietnamese cuisine is influenced by the Asian principle of five elements and Mahābhūta.

Many Vietnamese dishes include five spices (Vietnamese: ngũ vị): spicy (metal), sour (wood), bitter (fire), salty (water) and sweet (Earth), corresponding to: five organs (Vietnamese: ngũ tạng): gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach and urinary bladder.

Vietnamese dishes also include five types of nutrients (Vietnamese: ngũ chất): powder, water or liquid, mineral elements, protein and fat.

Vietnamese cooks try to have five colours (Vietnamese: ngũ sắc): white (metal), green (wood), yellow (Earth), red (fire) and black (water) in their dishes.

Dishes in Vietnam appeal to gastronomes via five senses (Vietnamese: năm giác quan): food arrangement attracts eyes, sounds come from crisp ingredients, five spices detected on the tongue, aromatic ingredients coming mainly from herbs stimulate the nose and some meals, especially finger food, can be perceived by touching.

Cultural importance

Salt is used as the connection between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Bánh phu thê is used to remind new couples of perfection and harmony at their weddings. Food is often placed at the ancestral altar as an offering to the dead. Cooking and eating play an extremely important role in Vietnamese culture. The word ăn (eat) is included in a great number of proverbs and has a large range of semantic extensions.

Vietnamese Dessert

Home page	Restaurant Search	Vietnamese Recipe Search	Custom Search   Visit XUVN.COM for More Insight of Vietnam  Diet & Fitness Food to Enhance Look Fitness Activities Guide Vietnamese Art Vietnamese Music Vietnamese Clothing
Grocery search	History of Vietnamese Food	Vietnamese Food Calories
As Health Food	Ingredients & Nutrition	Popular Dish Nutrition
Restaurant Menu	Asian Grocery Online	Vietnam Travel Guide
Vietnamese Cuisine	Cooking Utensil  Cooking tips	Eat & Travel in Vietnam
Vietnamese Culture	Vietnam Towns in America	Asian Communities in America