What is Vietnamese Cuisine

Have you ever had Sriracha, maybe a banh mi or a bowl of pho?? Well Vietnamese food is alot more then that and with some many dishes to try you can never go wrong. From com thit nuong "rice & grilled pork" to banh trang nuong "Vietnamese pizza" and many other colorful dishes. Whether your a vegan/vegetarian or a meat type of type of person, Vietnamese cuisine has a dish for you. Now, to get more in depth with what Vietnameee cuisine is, were gonna have to dig in a bit deeper. Vietnamese cuisine is based on the 5 fundamental elements which are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Within these 5 elements you have the breakdown of Spices, Colors, Senses, and Nutrients as well as having the right balance in each dish "Yin & Yang" Each of these correlates with the 5 fundamental elements (check picture below).

Most Vietnamese dishes would have 2 or 3 to all five elements in one dish creating a well balance but beautiful dish. Vietnamese cuisine also uses a lot of fresh ingredients and very little use of oil and dairy products. You get a good balance between meats and herbs as well as fresh vegetables with good homemade sauces. Using the 5 fundamental elements, this helps to enhance the complementary textures of each dish. According to Annie Corapi (2011) vietnamese food is one of the top 10 most healthiest ethnic cuisine. Some of the most common ingredients found in Vietnamese cuisine can include fish sauce, soy sauce, fresh fruits and vegetables, rice, noodles, and many other options depending on your particular dish. Vietnamese food recipes can also include the uses of lemongrass, curry, mint, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, onions, coriander, star anise, thai basil and birds eye chili. This list of ingredients is a lot longer depending on what dish you decide to make and as vietnamese food continues to grow and revolutionize, there will be many other non vietnamese items that can be fused to make it adapt and grow into new places. I hope that this article can help you better understand what vietnamese food is and how to create the perfect dish by using or mixing up the 5 fundamental elements in each dish. Creating the perfect balance of ingredients as well as enhancing the visual aspect of your dish. So, let's head to the kitchen and start cooking up some good food. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions, leave a comment or reach me via "contacts" and I'll get right to you. Thanks for reading and wishing you many blessings on your path to the future. -RichieBeChefin