2 Vietnamese dishes appear on the menu of 2024 Olympic athletes

Pho and fried spring rolls are two traditional Vietnamese dishes that host country France has included in the menu serving athletes participating in the 2024 Olympics.

Two Vietnamese dishes on the menu of 2024 Olympic athletes in France. (Source: VNA)

Recently, the Seasia news site, which specializes in posting news in the Southeast Asian region, reported that at the Asian booth, pho is served in 3 main meals. Nutritional information of the dish is also published on the official system for athletes to refer to.

Not only that, the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee also gives special favor to vegetarian spring rolls. When introducing this as "Vietnamese cuisine", the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee used the word "nem" as the name of this dish in the North, instead of using the popular English word "spring roll" to describe this dish.

Nutritional composition of pho in the menu of 2024 Olympic athletes. (Source: Paris Olympics 2024)

Pho is a traditional Vietnamese dish originating from the North, considered one of the typical dishes of Vietnamese cuisine.

The main ingredients of pho are pho noodles and broth with thinly sliced ​​beef or chicken. The broth for pho is usually clear broth simmered from beef bones (or pork bones), accompanied by many spices including cinnamon, star anise, roasted ginger, cardamom, sea worms, cloves, coriander seeds, and roasted shallots.

The meat used for pho is beef (with all kinds of meat such as thigh, flank, and brisket, rare or well done) or chicken (boiled old chicken, shredded for a sweet and rich meat). "Pho noodles" are traditionally made from rice flour, spread into thin sheets and then cut into strands. Pho is always enjoyed while still hot, bringing a rich and unforgettable flavor to diners.

Typical spices in the broth of pho soup. (Photo: Dieu Linh)

Fried spring rolls is the name of a famous Vietnamese dish. This dish is commonly called "nem" in the North. In the Central region, this dish is often called ram (in Thanh Hoa, it is called cha), and in the South, it is called cha gio.

Traditional spring rolls usually have main ingredients of pork, vermicelli, chicken eggs, wood ear mushrooms, vegetables... and some common spices of Vietnamese cuisine such as green onions, pepper, fish sauce, rolled in rice paper and deep fried. Spring rolls are often eaten with mixed fish sauce, pickles and lettuce, herbs such as basil, perilla, fish mint,...

In addition to the usual fillings, some places also add seafood and snails to make special spring rolls, or just use vermicelli, wood ear mushrooms, vegetables and mushrooms to make vegetarian dishes.

Delicious, crispy vegetarian mushroom spring rolls. (Source: Dan Tri)

France's inclusion of pho and fried spring rolls on the menu for the Paris Olympics is seen as a great opportunity to elevate Vietnamese cuisine. Thanks to that, many friends and diners around the world will know about it.

At each Olympic Games, athletes must always follow a specific nutritional regimen to suit their competition, but they can still explore other famous dishes around the world if they want.

It is known that at previous Olympics, Vietnamese dishes have appeared on the menu many times. For example, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Vietnamese pho was served to guests and athletes.

However, the host country has made some small changes by replacing the beef with the country's signature Wagyu beef. Or previously in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil, athletes also enjoyed stir-fried pho.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/2-mon-an-viet-nam-xuat-hien-trong-thuc-don-cua-cac-van-dong-vien-olympic-2024-280833.html