good things - Liz Posmyk
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • My book
  • Writing & Media
  • FAQs

The Food of Vietnam by Luke Nguyen

15/12/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Food of Vietnam by Luke Nguyen. Cover image courtesy Hardie Grant Books.
We stopped by the Asia Bookroom at the weekend and, while browsing the many shelves in this unique and interesting store, I began to reflect on how books—that is, the old-fashioned kind printed on paper as opposed to ebooks—stimulate our physiological senses in terms of sight, touch and smell. There is something immensely pleasurable about the look, feel and scent of a book--whether it's the 'Lignin' or faint vanilla/grass-like aroma present in old books or the fresh-ink-on-crisp-paper smell of a new book. Holding a book in one's hands and turning the pages is, to me, an absolute joy, particularly if the book happens to be as magnificent as Luke Nguyen's The Food of Vietnam, published recently by Hardie Grant Books.

Luke Nguyen's voice is distinctive throughout this book, which is a comprehensive, beautifully-illustrated, delightfully written and thoroughly researched ode to the food of his homeland. Take these snippets, for example: 'My film crew are in fits of laughter, trying desperately to hold back their delight at the raucous mob that have surrounded my cooking cart,' he writes. And 'We row past rice paddy fields, tall limestone karsts and through dark mystical caves—the perfect place to bring your sweetheart... but instead I get to prepare my snails.' This is perhaps reflective of the Vietnamese character, summed up by Nguyen in another gem: 'Each place I visit, I meet people who are hospitable, welcoming and sharing. The Vietnamese never miss an opportunity to have a laugh. Their ability to make fun of themselves is the key to their resilience.'

This book is Nguyen's opus on his journey to discover food and heritage. He says he was inspired to go to Vietnam and 'felt a pull to discover the country and people on his own' and understand more about the lives of his parents and his heritage. His culinary adventure leads him from Saigon and the south; from the coast and countryside of Mui Ne, Phan Thiet and Da Lat. He meets the salt water people of Nha Trang, Quoy Nhon and Hoi An; travels to Hue, Vinh and Quang Ninh;  and Ninh Binh (the ancient tenth century capital of Vietnam); to Hanoi and the port of Ha Long Bay; and through Sapa to Bac Ha and the remote village of Mai Chau in the mountains.

Nguyen has dedicated The Food of Vietnam to 'all the wonderful street vendors, home cooks and chefs that [he] had the pleasure of meeting and cooking with throughout [the country]'. He says: 'A lifetime of travelling, talking and eating throughout the country may not be enough to discover all that Vietnam has to share, but the people's stories and their memories are all in some way tied up in any single dish that is prepared; each technique is the word and practice of someone before them.'

Of course, accompanying Nguyen's travel tales are recipes, and many of them begin with a quirky introduction about their origin, viz: 'I learnt this recipe from a lady who also taught me how to make my own tofu...' or 'This recipe belongs to Mr Lam, a local shoemaker or Hoi An...' or 'This recipe belongs to Hai, a young gentleman who showed me how to speak "duck"'. Stunning photographs by Alan Benson and Suzanna Boyd add to the quality of this work. Yes, this is absolutely my kind of food and I could happily cook my way through the book!

Picture
Luke Nguyen, chef/owner of the award‐winning Red Lantern and author of four bestselling cookbooks

The Food of Vietnam by Luke Nguyen, $69.95, Hardie Grant Books. Thank you very kindly to Luke Nguyen and the publicity team at Hardie Grant for giving me the opportunity to review this title. It will be treasured and well used in my kitchen!
Print Friendly and PDF
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Bookshelf

    Cookbook reviews and interviews with food writers and chefs.



    Titles/Authors

    All
    101 Cookbooks
    5:2 Lifestyle
    Adam Liaw
    Adrian Richardson
    Almond Bar
    Almonds : Recipes
    Ancient Grains
    Annabel Crabb
    Anna Bergenström And Fanny Bergenström
    Anna Gare
    Annie Rigg
    A Passion For Fruit
    A Story Of Seven Summers
    Australian Vegetable Garden
    Bake
    Catherine Saxelby
    Charmaine Solomon
    Chefs
    Clive Blazey
    Coffee Trails
    Complete Food And Nutrition Companion
    Cookery Book
    Country Womens Association Classics
    Crust
    Culture
    David Thompson
    Delicious
    Delicious Every Day
    Delicious. Home Cooking
    Dish It Up
    Doggylicious
    Dominique Rizzo
    Eat
    Eat In
    Eleanor Ozich
    Elizabeth David
    Emma Galloway
    Farmers Market Family Cookbook
    Food Markets Of The World
    Frances Mayes Edward Mayes
    Francis Van Arkel
    Fried Chicken & Friends By Gregory Llewellyn & Naomi Hart
    Growing Your Own Fruit And Vegetables
    Guy Mirabella
    Hayden Quinn
    Heidi Swanson
    Hilary Burden
    History
    Home Baking
    Home Cheese Making In Australia
    Hungry
    Ian Hemphill
    In A Glass
    Indochine
    Italian Food
    Jane Grover
    Johnnie Mountain
    Jo Wheatley
    Kate Walsh
    Limoncello And Linen Water
    Lorenza De'Medici
    Love
    Love Aimee X By Aimee Twigger
    Luke Mangan
    Luke Nguyen
    Maggie Beer
    Maggie's Christmas
    Margaret Fulton
    Marie Claire Summer
    Marion Grasby
    Marion's Kitchen
    Mark Jensen
    Matthew Evans
    Maximum Flavour
    Monday Morning Cooking Club The Food
    Monday Morning Cooking Club - The Food
    My Darling Lemon Thyme
    My Family Table
    My Kitchen Year
    My Petite Kitchen
    My Taste Of Sicily
    Naked Food
    New Vegetarian Kitchen
    Nicola Graimes
    Nigel Slater
    Pauline Nguyen
    Pies And Tarts
    Pig
    Real Food Projects
    Rediscover Australian Pears
    Richard Bertinet
    Ruth Reichl
    Salmon Cookbook
    Salt Grill
    Same Same But Different
    Secrets Of The Red Lantern
    Sharon Salloum
    Signature Dishes
    Simply Gluten-free & Dairy-free
    Simply The Best
    Slow Cooking
    Special Delivery
    Spice Notes
    Stephane Reynaud
    Super Natural Every Day
    Sweet Things
    Tessa Kiros
    Thai Food
    The Australian Vegetable Garden
    The Complete Asian Cookbook
    The Diggers Club
    The Dinner Ladies
    The Dirty Chef
    The Feast Goes On
    The Food Of Vietnam
    The Gentle Art Of Preserving
    The Good Life
    The Sisterhood
    The Stories
    The Tuscan Sun Cookbook
    Toby Smith
    Two Asian Kitchens
    Under The Tuscan Sun
    Under The Walnut Tree
    Valerie Pearson
    Veganissimo!
    Winter On The Farm


Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2020.   All rights reserved.
Excerpts may be used provided that full and clear credit is given. Thank you.


  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • My book
  • Writing & Media
  • FAQs