Rice and Baguette: A History of Food in Vietnam

Foods and Nations

by Vu Hong Lien

The once-obscure cuisine of Vietnam is, today, a favorite for many people from East to West. Adapted and modified over thousands of years, it is probably best known as a particularly delicious result of combining traditional southeast Asian cookery with visible outside influences—notably, the crunchy baguette—from its French-occupied past. Drawing on archeological evidence, oral and written histories, and wide-ranging research, Vu Hong Lien tells the complex and surprising history of food in Vietnam.
            Rice and Baguette traces the prehistoric Việt’s progress from hunter-gathers of mollusks and small animals to sophisticated agriculturalists. The book follows them as they developed new tools and practices to perfect the growing of their crops until rice became a crucial commodity,which then irrevocably changed their diet, lifestyle, and social structure. Along the way, the author shows how Việt cuisine was dramatically influenced by French colonial cookery and products, which introduced a whole new set of ingredients and techniques into Vietnam. Beautifully illustrated throughout and peppered with fascinating historical tales, Rice and Baguette reveals the long journey that Vietnamese food has traveled to become the much-loved cuisine that it is today.
 

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Food History, Cooking

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2016

Reviews

[Brishen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with many people who travel to Vietnam, I've fallen in love with so many of the different dishes from all over the country. Just like the history of food in other countries, I assumed that parts of what is considered 'typical' Vietnamese food was developed not long ago (relatively speaking at least) and was curious to understand more.
Rice and Baguette does an excellent job of going through the facts as they are known about the origins of specific recipes and which of the many different cultures played a hand it developing them. I really appreciated that the author separated known facts to those that are guessed at or simply long term myths. A real page-turner, and I wish something that was available for many other cuisines!

[Ha Tran Nguyen Phuong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is half for my history assignment, half for personal interest. I find it soooo interesting to see the evolution of food in my own country, and also to reflect on the impacts of colonization, warfare, and cultures on the food that we eat every day. I miss Vietnamese food TT_TT

[CherrySherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book easy to read and very informative. If you're interested in getting to know the Vietnamese cuisine, it's a good guide to use for broadening your horizon.