Visit Phu Quoc January 2020 Visitor's Guide

Eating & Drinking Guide
A little bit about Vietnamese food
Savoring those moments you will never forget!
by Lộc Thị Phương
Vietnamese cuisine in general is rich and diverse;
it also imprints the Vietnamese culture in many
ways.
There are subtle or more obvious
distinctions between the meals prepared in all the
different regions of Vietnam, the main difference
compared to Western food is that most dishes are made
out of rice instead of wheat flour. Rice takes many forms
including noodle soup (phở), noodles (bún), rolls (bánh
cuốn) and water fern cakes (bánh bèo).
The people in Vietnam have very good habit of using
a lot of fresh vegetables in their daily meals.
One common example, the hotpot soup with fish
paste (lẩu mắm) – a specialty in the Mekong Delta region
– is prepared with 36 kinds of vegetables and is usually
service during the flooding season, when plants are
growing more abundantly.
Seasonality is also very important and this is where
the subtleties arise between North, Central and South
Vietnamese cuisine.
In the South, meals are sweeter and spicier than in the
North, but not as strong as in Thai food with one of the
main ingredients being fish sauce.
It is used at different extents and can be more or less
strong, the best fish sauce of course is said to come from
Phu Quoc Island!
Fish sauce production is still today an important part
of the local economy, even if the island has become more
developed for tourism.
Likewise, you can find pepper farms everywhere
on the island and the quality of this local spice is well
renown in Vietnam and globally.
To enjoy Vietnamese food, use your 5 senses right
from the time the dish arrives on the table:
- Sight: a beautifully decorated meal is more
appealing, the colors must be attractive.
- Smell: the aromas emanating from the dish may
come from the food or the seasoning such as fish sauce,
and a skillful preparation is required to create these
characteristic flavors.
- Taste: is the dish well balanced, salty enough, spicy
or sour as it should be? Your tongue will let you know!
- Hearing: The sound that your food is making while
you are touching or eating it has its importance too! For
example, deep fried spring rolls must have a crispy rice
paper texture after having been cooked and you can
hear the clicking sounds of the ingredients mixing with
each other as you are biting them.
- Touch: the texture of the food must feel soft or hard,
just as it should be, depending on what you eat.
Vietnamese people are difficult when it comes to
food; they pay attention to all these points and are never
afraid to complain when something is wrong! However,
if they are pleased with their 5 senses, they will call it an
adequate meal.
Perhaps they are this picky because in Vietnamese
culture, food is not only a matter of survival or sensory
pleasure but eating is considered as external sign of
good education and culture.
The personality of a person transpires through his
food and with someone we just met we can only identify
him through his clothing, speech or gestures. To gain
a deeper understanding of his personality, habits and
lifestyle, it is necessary to know more about his diet.
Also, as is the same as in Eastern medicine
Vietnamese people pay close attention to the balance of
their cuisine to ensure good health:
Hot or cold, salty or sweet, spicy or refreshing,
everything is a matter of Yin and Yang, of balance and if
balance is respected, your body will not have to worry
much about diseases. Therefore, the Vietnamese kitchen
is considered as a small hospital for the family.
In a traditional family, the role of the woman is very
important as she is the one creating such delicious food
every day. For her Vietnamese family she does not only
cook food but she is also showing that she is caring for
the ones she loves. Once everything is ready, everybody
gathers around the meal and at that moment the whole
family is united and share this happy moment together.
As you can see, eating in Vietnam is not only delicious
it is also a way to learn about the traditions, the culture
and the life of local people and it can make your holiday
more insightful.
It adds meaning and colors to your experience in
Vietnam!
Phu Quoc is a place where many people from all over
Vietnam have met to work and live and they brought
their culinary specialties with them. It is therefore the
perfect island for trying a wide variety of different
cuisines and really enjoy the specialties of Phu Quoc like
Vietnamese people do, so please make sure that you try
some street food!
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Article provided by Green Hat Holiday
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44 VISIT PHU QUOC • 12 th edition JAN-JUL 2020