Vietnamese Food and Food Culture: A Life-Changing Journey Through the Street Foods, Regional Cooking Styles and Local Ingredients of Vietnam

In 2018, veteran restaurateur, author, foodie and all-around travel junkie Paul Kennedy embarked on a life-changing journey to Vietnam. His main goal was to explore the nation’s rich cuisine and food culture, which had always fascinated him from afar, but which he could never quite understand fully.This book is the result of five years spent traveling the length and breadth of the country, experiencing Vietnamese food up-close as no other food writer has before.In 24 essays, 60 recipes and 100 photographs, Kennedy shares his experiences with you through:Engaging stories about tantalizing local foods and drinkssuch as the unparalleled Nam Dinh City bahn mi and fresh bia hoi beer and palate-challenging local delicacieslike bitter melon and the foul-smelling durianIntriguing myths, rituals and beliefssuch as the legendary sword-snatching golden turtle of Hoan Kiem Lake and the outlawed “Coconut Religion”Information on Vietnamese herbs, condiments and ingredientsfrom fish sauce to rice paper wrappers to fresh basil, green onions and sawtooth corianderRecipes for classic street food dishes like Rice Paper Pizza, Banh Mi Sandwiches and Steamed Coconut Rice Cakes with Toasted Shrimp FlakesIconic restaurant and homestyle dishes like Spicy Lemongrass Chicken, Crispy Pan-Fried Trout and Baby Basket Clam RiceUnusual drinks and desserts like Egg Coffee, Mango Margaritas, Coconut Cream Martinis, Tofu Pudding and Vietnamese Layer CakePlus many other unique flavors, recipes, food discoveries and dozens of cultural observations from the author while living in Vietnam