The History Of Vietnamese Food In Australia 

Lunches are no longer the same at work. Aussies are no longer interested in eating the same old ham and cheese sandwich. Now the interest has moved to cucumber, herbs, pickled carrots, roasted pork, etc. With Vietnamese cuisine massively dominating Australia’s food scene, there is no doubt in saying that Australians are obsessed with Vietnamese food.

And why not? Vietnamese food is a beautiful mix of zing, fragrance, comfort, and crunch. From grilled to fried meats to crunchy salads and herbs, Vietnamese food offers a perfect blend of sauces and dressings that makes food less forceful and more fragrant. On that note, here’s a look at the history of Vietnamese food in Australia.

A New Arrival In Australia

Although most of the Vietnamese dishes are derived from recipes of indigenous communities, the Chinese influence has also been massively seen in the north. French colonialists have left their mark behind with coffee and baguettes. Vietnamese food in comparison is considered to be a recent arrival. In fact, most of the people who own restaurants in Australia are refugees who fled after the end of the Vietnamese war in 1975.

Settling In

The Vietnamese quickly settled in Sydney, Melbourne, and other places and established unique kinds of eateries that slowly gave Aussies a taste of Vietnam. The local Aussies loved the food as this style of eating was quite clean with very few modifications needed. Pho, especially gained popularity in a span of time and is considered to be an ideal item for dinner and lunch here.

Hot and steamy bao buns alongside rice paper rolls too become the talk of the town. Soon after that, celebrity chefs started talking about Vietnamese food. In fact, some of them wrote books that encouraged more and more people to try out Vietnamese food.

Free Bird

Out of all the popular restaurants gaining popularity late, Free Bird is one of the best places you need to visit. Known for their pork rice rolls, wok-fried fish, and mango salad, this place uses a very creative approach and has interesting infleunces in dishes like shallot, ginger, cauliflower puree, etc. You can also visit this place for the delicious noodle soups and pho. There is also an exciting menu available for lots of vegetarians. Also, when you are in the neighborhood, you can check out the pork rolls which are the best in town and are considered to be the best food of the Vietnamese in Melbourne.

The contribution of Vietnamese food in Australia is also quite noteworthy. Not only have Australians learned valuable things about Vitenamese cuisine but have also adopted it. It has also taught people to be very culturally tolerant, has created more and more employment opportunities for several people, and created a healthy culture. So if you are in Australia anytime soon, do make sure that you visit Vietnamese restaurants. You will fall in love with their cuisine.