Vietnamese food is growing in fashion and popularity as the country opens up to tourism, and émigrés gain confidence in the restaurant trades of their new homes in the West. In this introductory guide we reveal how and why Vietnamese food is different from Chinese and other Oriental cooking, and what to look for when eating out or experimenting in the kitchen.

The History of...

Vietnamese is one of the original fusion cuisines. The country has always absorbed influences from its neighbours and those foreigners who have inhabited or traded with it. Vietnam's west shares borders with Laos and Cambodia. To the north is China, to the east is a long stretch of ocean. Geographically and culinarily, the country divides neatly into three.

The food of the north, where Hanoi is located, tends to be simple in taste and presentation. In the centre is the former imperial capital Hue, and therefore home of the royal cuisine. Food of the south, around Saigon, is elegant and colourful, with lots of fresh herbs and vegetables, and more Indian influences.

Main influences

Periods of Chinese and French colonisation have had a noticeable impact on Vietnamese cuisine. China ruled the area for ten centuries, while the French were there for just under 100 years. There have been other influences too: especially Indian, Portuguese, Dutch and English traders. Vietnamese cuisine has absorbed all this, and the resulting contradictory mix is fascinating.

China, being one-time ruler as well as northerly neighbour, has given Vietnam basic cooking techniques such as steaming, stir-frying and braising or stewing in clay pots. It also introduced Buddhism, which has resulted in good vegetarian dishes. Vietnamese fried rice is very similar to that of China, but the Vietnamese make it their own by adding lemongrass.

Europeans have tended to make their influence felt in terms of ingredients. The Portuguese brought chillies, potatoes, tomatoes and corn from the Americas. The French are responsible for the Vietnamese use of asparagus and artichokes, and probably carrots and cauliflowers.

The Vietnamese also tend - unlike other people in the Far-East - to serve bread and especially baguettes as an accompaniment to dishes, or at breakfast. They love yogurt, pastries and coffee (hot or cold). Vietnamese pâtés and terrines are very similar to the French varieties but are sometimes cooked in banana leaves, and when served in a baguette will have pickled carrot, spring onion, red chilli and mayonnaise added.