Vietnam is a fascinating state with an equally fascinating history, culture and cuisine. I’ve made at least 4 trips here and this fifth time around, ventured into the mountain areas up in Northwestern Vietnam. I have always enjoyed Vietnamese cuisine and thought I knew enough about it and wrongfully assumed Vietnamese cuisine up in the mountainous areas of Lao Cai are the familiar dishes I found in Ho Chi Minh, Hue, Hoi An, Danang and Hanoi. Wrong! Sa Pa cuisine is a culture in itself. Those hotpots and bamboo rice are no way familiar at all. Fish means either salmon or sturgeon. And meat can be beef, pork, buffalo, (black) chicken, horse or (brace yourself) dog meat. So we made sure we struck off horse and dog meat from the menu. Seriously. It is a vegan paradise though , with an assortment of vegetables and herbs served to us. And if you like fish stew, you’d enjoy these soupy dishes. After a few days, we grew tired of the local cuisine and went in search for Western dishes. Pizza, pasta, meatballs, steaks saved us. All’s well 😉
The French may have influenced gustatory arts in the more cosmopolitan areas but that influence may have fizzled out in the mountain areas of Northern Vietnam. Food was nothing “fancy” but served in great quantities, too much in fact. And I seriously missed my desserts 😞. It’s a good thing the coffee scene was soooo great and the coffee concoctions are truly more desserts than coffee in my book! (Tip: try the coffee shops — ate some real good apple crumble in Le Gecko) Best of all, the mountain sceneries & meet- ups with hill tribes are memorable experiences with all the local colors & flavors (pun intended).
lifeisacelebration 