From the North to South in Vietnam

I was fortunate to be a member of  a group of travelers on an Intrepid trip from north to south of Vietnam. This was my first visit and there was much to discover for a newcomer. I have visited China and Thailand and there are some cultural similarities but also differences.  The country seems filled with a positive vibe and on the way forward.

Food is the focus of this blog and I want to share some of my experiences in the following.  On one my first days I tasted the typical and always present soup of Vietnam Pho. One can suspect some of the origins of this comes from the classic French dish Pot-au-Feu, soups with beef broth exist all over the world in Norway we have the classic Kjøttsuppe with local root vegetables.  Pho can be eaten at many places all over the world in my home town Kristiansand the local community of Vietnamese people mean that good Pho has been available for many years. Pho varies from north to south in Vietnam and a more extensive discussion of this can be found in other blogs for example Viet World Kitchen.

Before the rest of the group arrived I had the pleasure to be guided by a young competent women that was knowledgeable in regard to street food which is so enjoyable in Vietnam. Below a picture of the classic Summer Spring Rolls.


















Hue the city of the Vietnamese emperors was impressive and in some ways the monuments and the Imperial Citadel brought thoughts to the Forbidden City in Beijing.  We shared a unique meal at a Buddhist monastery, this cuisine demonstrates that vegan food can be both visually appealing and tasty. The meal was quite expensive but one can imagine how much work is needed to create a feast like this.


















In Hoi An I was quite busy but very satisfied with the a bicycle trip on a neighboring island that clearly portrayed the importance of rice in traditional Vietnamese culture. The trip through fields of sprouting rice paddies evoked many descriptions in novels I have read from the Far East.  We also experienced various ways that rice could be made into tasty food. Rice noodles are made in a simple manner the reminded me of traditional Norwegian flat breads. All the participants were able to have a try at the making individual rounds of rice noodle. Rice wine and distilled products were also tasted.

In the late afternoon I attended a short course in Vietnamese cooking at the Green Mango . The course was taught  in a friendly and professional manner by the General Manager Nguyen Thanh Hai. I have since received comprehensive recipes that I will be trying in the months ahead. The days schedule was somewhat hard on a retired academic librarian and I could have been more alert during the cooking class.

The group ended in Ho Chi Minh City often still called Saigon. The whole group spent one one long and very enjoyable day day in the Mekong Delta which I will describe later. I was alone for some days in Saigon and was able to connect to the last Seafood Trail Tour before the Vietnamese New Year Tête on the 25th of January. This was possibly the most impressive food tour I have ever had. We were three guests and two guides both had intimate knowledge of the best local seafood with a focus on various shellfish and crabs. Despite indulging in a glorious array of delicacies my stomach held up up!

Mat i Andalusia - fisk og skalldyr

Jeg er nylig tilbake fra tre i uker i det sørligste Spania, Andalusia. Det er jo deilig med et avbrekk i den norske vinteren og Andalusia er passe nært med et ganske behagelig klima også om vinteren. Temperaturen ved kysten kommer ofte opp i ca. 20 C på solskinnsdager og minimumstemperaturene temperaturene er sjelden under 10 C.

Bildet ovenfor er fra markedshallen i Malaga, et eldorado for matinteresserte. Her det et rikt utvalg av utsalg for fisk, kjøtt, grønnsaker, frukt, ost mv. Omfanget og kvaliteten er ikke langt unna det mye mer berømte markedet i Barcelona , La Boqueria .  Spanjolene er jo meget glad i fisk, forbruket pr innbygger er blant de høyeste i verden. Siden fiskebestanden i Middelhavet er sterkt redusert fraktes mye fisk og skalldyr fra havnene i det nordlige Spania til nesten hver krik og krok i landet. I Spania er kokkene i Andalusia berømte for sin evne til perfekt frityr av de mange ansjoser, sardiner og andre småfisk.  Som hovedrett oftest for minst 2 personer er pescaíto frito et variert utvalg av ulike ganske små fisk,  akkar og reker noe alle bør bestille ved besøk i Malaga.  Sammen med en felles salat og noen poteter er dette et velsmakende måltid som er rikelig for to personer. På en folkelig restaurant med fokus på fisk som Marisqueria Plaza Marina i Nerja koster et slikt måltid med noen glass vin godt under 20 euro

En spesialitet som er smakfull, sunn, rimelig og meget bærkraftig i forhold til fiskebestanden i middelhavet er sardiner grillet på spidd . Dette tilbys særlig av spisesteder som ligger rett ved en strand, bildet til høyre er tatt i år ved bydelen La Malagueta i Malaga. Dette er også et rimelig valg 2-3 euro for 4 sardiner. 

Skall- og bløtdyr av alle slag er meget populært og utvalget overgår det vi ser her hjemme. Alle navnene kan være litt forvirrende, noen har flere navn. En av mine favoritter er meget små akkar som serveres fritert i olivenolje. Disse kan gå under følgende navn: calamarcitos, chopitos, pulpitos og puntillas. Reker og sjøkreps finnes i mange varianter men jeg synes nok at lokale ferske reker fra Sørlandet er vel så gode som dem jeg spiste i Spania.  Våre er ikke minst enklere å skrelle, de kokte rekene jeg spiste i Spania hadde et skall som var vrien å få av!

Innlegg følger om Tapas og de ulike varianter av spansk spekeskinke, Jamon.