A Taste of Vietnam

“How’s your weight?” I was caught off guard in the middle of Dong Ba market in Hué, central Vietnam. A petite woman squatting on the ground smiled widely at me displaying her traditional blackened teeth, seemingly concerned about my well-being. My mind flashed through everything I’d been eating on my journey since Hanoi, from the minted spring rolls and coconut crusted grilled prawns to the green tea ice cream. Rather taken aback by a stranger asking me a personal question I opted for a very English response of “good thanks” and side stepped the set of scales neatly positioned in the middle of the concrete aisle. Amused, Hoân my guide explained this is a popular greeting in Vietnam based on the desire to keep an even balance in life. I thought it best to leave the weighing until the privacy of my own bathroom at home rather than public display, no doubt humiliating to an average size British woman feeling like a giant alongside the much smaller Vietnamese.

I was on a culinary journey through Vietnam experiencing the heritage of this fascinating country but also on a personal mission and quest to track down the best coffee. It’s the second largest crop grown there after rice. The Vietnamese prefer to take their coffee thick and strong with condensed milk to cut through the intensity. Even in a simple roadside café your china cup arrives with an aluminium filter sat on top, delivering a pure caffeine hit.

A vast emporium crammed with colourful stalls jostling for attention, bicycle bells ringing, people talking loudly and dogs barking, Dong Ba market was an assault on the senses. Neat piles of jewel-like fruits and vegetables, lush bunches of fragrant herbs, fish still reeling, butchered meat not for the faint-hearted, scrawny chickens, sacks of more varieties of rice than I knew existed and tofu. A multitude of tofu, from soft white pillows immersed in vats of water, pale tan smoked tofu, or served as in impromptu snack in Phô the ubiquitous soup, chilli seasoned and delicious. King of all ingredients though was barrels of Nuoc mam or fish sauce, the pungent cornerstone of Vietnamese cooking.

Hoân led the way to the coffee merchant’s stall which I could smell before I saw it. “Special coffee for you today?” Standing on a box behind his meticulously arranged counter stacked high with stock, the enthusiastic owner thought I’d prefer the revered Civet coffee made exclusively from the beans that have passed through the digestive system of this animal. Apparently the natural process adds to the flavour as the enzymes alter the taste of the coffee. I was happy to take his word for it and instead made my purchase of pure Robusta beans with their wonderfully rich chocolate taste. Mission accomplished.