Vietnamese Cuisine - Historical Influences

Historical Influences

Due to historical contact with China, Vietnam shares many of its characteristics with China. In culinary traditions, the Chinese introduced to Vietnam many dishes, including hoành thánh (wonton), xá xíu (char siu), há cảo (har gow), hủ tiếu (ka tieu), mì (wheat noodles), bò bía (popiah), bánh quẩy (youtiao), mooncake and bánh pía (Suzhou style mooncake), bánh tổ (nian gao), sủi dìn (tang yuan), bánh bò, bánh bao (baozi), cơm chiên Dương Châu (Yangzhou-fried rice), mì xào (chow mein). The Vietnamese adopted these foods and added their own styles and flavors to the foods. Ethnic minorities in the mountainous region near the China–Vietnam border also adopted some foods from China. Ethnic Tày and Nùng in Lạng Sơn province adopted thịt lợn quay (roasted pork) and khau nhục (braised pork belly) from China. Some New World vegetables, such as chilli and maize, also made way to Vietnam from the Ming dynasty.

The French introduced baguettes to Vietnam, which were then combined with Vietnamese stuffing to become a popular fast food in Vietnam called bánh mì and known overseas as “Vietnamese sandwich”. The French also brought to Vietnam onions, cauliflower, lettuce, potatoes, tarragon, carrot, artichoke, asparagus, and coffee. Onions are called hành tây (literally “Western shallots”), asparagus as măng tây (literally “Western bamboo shoots”) and potatoes are called khoai tây (literally “Western yam”) in Vietnamese, which reflect their origin before arriving in Vietnam. French-influenced dishes are numerous and not limited to: sa lát (salad), pâté, patê sô (a Brittany pasty called "paté chaud), bánh sừng trâu (croissant), bánh flan, ya ua (yogurt), rôti (rotisserie), bơ (butter), vịt nấu cam (duck à l'orange), ốp lết (omelette), ốp la (œufs au plat), phạc xi (farcies), bít tết (beefsteak), sốt vang (cooking with wine), dăm bông (jambon), xúc xích (saucisse).

During the 17th century, contact with Siam and merchants from India lead to the adoption of curry in Vietnamese cuisine. Though not common in the north, cà ri is a quite popular dish in central and southern Vietnam. The most common form is the chicken curry and to a lesser extent, the goat curry. The chicken curry is an indispensable dish in many social gathering events such as weddings, funerals and the yearly death anniversary of a loved one. In Vietnam, curry is eaten either with the French baguettes or with steamed rice. The round rice noodles (rice vermicelli) are sometimes eaten with curry.

Vietnamese cuisine also has Khmer influences with the adoption of mắm bồ hóc (prahok). Mắm bồ hóc is used as a central ingredient of a Vietnamese rice noodle soup called bún nước lèo.

With the contact with communist countries from Eastern Europe, the Vietnamese adopted dishes such as stuffed cabbage soup, sa lát Nga (Russian salad) and Czech beer.

From Thai cuisine, Vietnamese adopted xôi xoài (mango sticky rice) and lẩu Thái (Thai hotpot) – a very popular party food in Vietnam, especially in Saigon. Recently, the Koreans and Japanese also introduced mì Hàn Quốc and mù tạt wasabi.