Vietnamese Cuisine - Typical Vietnamese Family Meal

Typical Vietnamese Family Meal

A typical meal for the average Vietnamese family would include:

• Large bowl/pot/cooker of steamed white rice
• Individual bowls of rice
• Fish/seafood, meat, tofu (grilled, boiled, steamed, stewed or stir-fried with vegetables)
• A stir-fry dish
• Raw, pickled, steamed, or fresh vegetables
• Canh (a clear broth with vegetables and often meat or seafood) or other soup
• Prepared fish sauce for dipping, to which garlic, pepper, chili, ginger or lime juice are sometimes added according to taste.
• Dipping sauces and condiments depending on the main dishes, such as pure fish sauce, ginger fish sauce, tamarind fish sauce, soy sauce, muối tiêu chanh (salt and pepper with lime juice) or muối ớt (chilli and salt).
• Small dish of relishes, such as salted eggplant, pickled white cabbage, pickled papaya, pickled garlic or pickled bean sprouts
• Fresh fruits or desserts, such as chè

All dishes except individual bowls of rice are communal and are to be shared in the middle of the table. It is also customary for the younger to ask the elders to eat first and the women sit right next to the rice pot to serve rice for other people. They also pick up food to each other as an action of care.