Food is a big part of culture. It’s a way of defining our identity and who we are as a people. It can also be a major factor in what makes us happy.
In the case of many cultures, food is one of their favorite things to share with others. That’s why it’s no wonder that people often debate which cuisine is the best: Thai or Vietnamese?
In this blog post, you’ll find out everything you need to know about Thai and Vietnamese food, including where they come from, what flavors are common in each cuisine, how they are prepared, and more!
Thai Food
Thai food is known for its balance of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour flavors. Thai cuisine consists of four main categories: curry dishes, salads (yam), stir-fried (pad) dishes, and soups (tow). The cuisine originated in Southeast Asia and is influenced by Indian, Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian, and even Portuguese culinary practices.
Thai food also includes the use of ingredients found in many other Asian cuisines like lemongrass, lime leaves (kaffir), basil (krapao), cilantro (phak phai), ginger root (khing), shallots or garlic cloves (krachai), cumin seed or coriander seed (phanae), cardamom pods or cinnamon sticks ([[cassia bark|]]kinamon) .
Thai restaurants usually offer a variety of sauces that complement the spiciness from chili peppers. Some common sauces are a sweet-and-sour sauce made with sugar and vinegar or a peanut sauce made with garlic and ground roasted peanuts.
Vietnamese Food
Vietnamese cuisine is centered around vegetables, with the typical dish containing at least one. It’s typically served with rice or noodles and can be eaten as a main dish or as a side.
The staple of Vietnamese food is rice, which they eat three times per day on average. Rice is typically boiled in broth for about 15 minutes before being served. As they are mostly vegetarians, their most popular dishes are typically vegetarian-based, although some will include meat.
Possibly the most famous dish of Vietnamese cuisine is pho (pronounced “fuh”), which is a soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs like cilantro (coriander) and basil (saw leaf), and usually some type of meat like beef or chicken. This delicious soup originated in the early 20th century in North Vietnam during French colonization.
Their national dish is Bun Cha Gio Thit Heo Quay (Grilled pork topped with fried spring rolls). The pork is grilled with turmeric powder to give it that golden color before being covered in fish sauce, sugar cane vinegar, garlic slices, black pepper slices, ginger slices and green onions; then it’s topped with crispy deep-fried spring rolls that have been
Which Cuisine is Better?
Thai and Vietnamese cuisine are both very popular. But which is better?
In order to determine which cuisine you prefer, it’s important to think about what your favorite flavors are.
Thai food tends to have a sweet and salty flavor profile. This isn’t surprising since Thai cooking incorporates a lot of natural sugar in their dishes, as well as fish sauce, soy sauce, and coconut milk. Thai dishes also tend to be spicier than Vietnamese dishes.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese food has a more sour taste thanks to its inclusion of fermented vegetables like cabbage or carrots. Also because of the fermentation process, Vietnamese food tends to be less spicy than Thai food because the heat is cooked out of it during the process.
Both cuisines incorporate rice into their menu items, but you will find that rice is usually served alongside meat in Thai cuisine but not so much in Vietnamese cuisine.
One major difference between the two cuisines is how they use noodles: while noodles are common in both cuisines, you will find that noodle dishes are usually served for breakfast in Vietnam whereas they are typically served for dinner in Thailand.
Conclusion
With the rise in popularity of Vietnamese cuisine, Thai food is now seen as old-fashioned and unrefined. However, this is a shame because Thai food offers an incomparable range of flavors and textures that cannot be found in any other cuisine.
If you’re more adventurous and open to trying something new, then you should definitely give Vietnamese food a try. It’s worth it.