This Month’s Film: Indochine
Cuisine: Vietnamese

Tea and coffee are Vietnam’s most popular beverages. A special coffee is grown locally in the Vietnamese highlands in the South/Central part of Vietnam. The beans are roasted French style, and a dark coffee is made by dripping, which is usually served with condensed milk. There is no specific brand, but is rather known as “cafe sua” or “coffee with milk” – served hot or over ice cubes.

Another popular beverage is bubble or pearl tea, which originated in Taiwan. Tea is mixed with various fruit juices and large pearls of tapioca are suspended in the beverage.

Vietnam has no domestic spirits per se, such as brandy or whiskey, therefore most alcoholic spirits are imported. However, Vietnam has three domestic beers, Hue, 33, and Saigon Export.

The last time I made Vietnamese food, I served two mildly sweet Napa Valley wines, a reisling and a gewurztraminer. But this time, I think I’m going to go with beer. It’s summertime, and the weather is perfect for a nice cold brew. I doubt I’ll have much luck finding any of Vietnam’s finest in our local markets, so I’ll have to settle for the next best thing, perhaps another Asian label like Tsing Tao or San Miguel.

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