Beyond what’s cooked, there’s also a deep emphasis on the freshness of vegetables and herbs. Fresh fruits and veggies are common sides to lunches and suppers. There’s also fresh herbs and vegetables accompanying dips and sauces. Compared to other cuisines like Chinese or India, Vietnamese is nowhere near as heavy and loaded with spices. In fact, a lot of Vietnamese dishes are influenced by the French, brought up under a period of colonialism. A lot is also borrowed from Chinese culture and foods.
Authentic Vietnamese food draws from all these inspirations, leaving the audience with true uniqueness. For example, stews borrow a lot from French influence. In the various Vietnamese sauces, you’ll find a lot pulled from Chinese dishes. All the sweet, spicy, salty, and sour flavors regularly played with can also be customized according to the preferences or tastes of those being served. These flavors appear in numerous classic Vietnamese foods in Toronto, in pho and pho-inspired rice noodle soups, steamed rice paper rolls also known as banh cuon, sandwiches like banh mi, steamed race cakes, and puddings.
Another key difference is the divide between southern Vietnamese dishes which are normally sweeter, spicier, and oilier, and served with more exotic fruits and vegetables. Then, there’s northern Vietnamese food relying heavily on French and Chinese influence.
Are you a vegetarian looking for something to eat in Vietnamese cuisine? You can! Although Vietnamese food is oftentimes thought of as comprising of meats like beef, pork, and shrimp, curries, rice, salads, and stir-fries exist allowing a vegan or vegetarian to enjoy spicy, excellently prepared dishes from the heart of what’s considered Vietnamese.
There’s so much new tastes and dishes to explore in Vietnamese food, ranging from stir-fry to healthy rice paper rolls and more. There’s something for everyone in Vietnamese eating. Come down to Toronto Pho to check it out for yourself.
