Vietnamese
cuisine is at last attracting the broad audience it deserves . .
.
The diverse flavors found in Vietnamese food can be attributed to
the influences of various nations that have once occupied the country
as well as the influences of its neighbors. The Chinese left their
art of stir-frying using the famous wok; the French brought their
passion for aromatic filtered coffee and crème caramel, and
the exotic lemongrass was adopted from the Thai kitchen. However,
the genius of Vietnamese cooking lies in the innovative adaptation
of all these foreign inspirations to create a unique and subtle
cuisine. With the heavy reliance on rice, abundance of fresh herbs
and vegetables, minimal use of oil, and treatment of meat as a condiment
rather than a main course, Vietnamese food has to be among the healthiest
on the planet.
