A model of nourishment.
Vietnamese foods exceeds North American food on several counts of nutrition and health. Intuitive and mindful of how to nourish one’s body, Vietnamese cuisine is an excellent place to look for moderation. Perhaps what it does well better than any other ethnic-type cooking is moderation. Although meat is eaten with every meal, it’s always given in small proportions. Comparatively, vegetables are eaten in large portions. Dairy is almost non-existent and there’s hardly any rich or processed foods included.
Vietnamese pho is delicious!
A great introductory food to Vietnamese eating is pho. Easily the most well-known Vietnamese dish in North America, pho’s based is rice noodles in a flavorful broth. From there, one may drop in beef or chicken and mix in different vegetables as they please. Pho is routinely made in northern Vietnam with anti-oxidant dry spices like anise, cassia bark, black cardamom, cloves, and/or coriander seeds. In south Vietnam, it’s more likely to be mixed with bean sprouts, fresh herbs, and condiments like hoisin sauce, lime, and chilies.
Vietnamese cuisine is about balance.
When you partake in Vietnamese cuisine, there’s a lot of investment that’s made into creating ying-yang inspired balanced meals. For example, what’s warm is usually balanced with something cold, something spicy with something calming, and on and on. Whether you’re making pho or another Vietnamese dish, when building your meal, the ying-yang concept is important to remember. It could be something as simple as accompanying a hot soup with a cold glass of water. Nevertheless, this is all about giving the body what it needs to function in a balanced way.
These are just 4 of the reasons why Canadians continue to praise Vietnamese cooking and why you continue to see new Vietnamese-based restaurants pop up all over major cities like Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal, and Halifax. If you’re living in Toronto or the GTA, there’s only one place to pick up authentically-prepared Vietnamese dishes. For some of the most refreshing Vietnamese pho in Canada – dare we say it – come to Toronto Pho. Enjoy nourishing dishes, clean flavours, and utilizing only the freshest herbs and vegetables.
