The food of Vietnam and the rest of South East Asia is closely following Indian and Thai in popularity as a food in the UK.

Recently the food of Vietnam has started to catch on as an alternative to Thai or Malaysian cooking. The three cuisines share many similarities and ingredients, but nevertheless each manages to remain distinct.

History of Vietnamese Cuisine
The fact that Vietnam was a French colony for many years has had a considerable impact on the cuisine. Soup is the key element of Vietnamese cuisine and the most common version known as pho, is a clear consomme. This is often combined with noodles, together known as pho bo to make a more hearty dish.

Other Vietnamese recipes influenced by the French include the paste made from arawns, coriander, salt and peper.

Characteristics of Vietnamese Food
Vietnamese food is generally less spicy than Thai or Malaysian and nooodles are more popular than the rice that forms the main staple in these two places.

Lemongrass and fish sauce are probably the most common flavourings, although soy sauce or soy paste are often used with beef dishes. Vegetables and salads play an important role in the diet - these can include bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, cabbage, cucumber, water chestnuts and carrot. Usually the preparation of vegetables involves slicing them very thinly and dressing them with an oil-free mixture of lime jujice, sugar, salt and pepper.

Pork is probably the most common meat, followed by chicken and beef. Fish and prawns are also used regularly. Meat and fish are nearly always minced or mashed before cooking - either wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or stuck on skewers and grilled.

Meat and fish are generally served in bite-sized pieces with various vegetables, such as lettuce leaves, with which the meat or fish can be wrapped with some spring onion or chilli sauce. Spring rolls are also very popular, either deep fried, or just served raw with a cold cooked filling.

All in all, the food of Vietnam is very tasty and very healthy to the extent that it is definitely worth the attention of any London foodie. Vietnamese food can be sampled at select Vietnamese restaurants in London.

Carlina Macdonald