Culinary heritage and future tastes: Blending or separating?

At the event 'Future Menus Vietnam 2025', which gathered more than 350 guests including professional chefs, restaurant owners, culinary experts and F&B industry leaders, new solutions were presented to help Vietnamese cuisine thrive in the context of constantly changing consumers and tastes.

Cultural identity in Vietnamese cuisine

Cuisine is not only a need for enjoyment but also a core part of cultural identity. Each dish is the crystallization of history, customs and people of a land. Rustic dishes often encapsulate national memories, but if not flexibly changed in the integration period, they can easily be "left behind".

Many Vietnamese heritage dishes are at risk of disappearing if they do not adapt to modern trends. The problem is how to transform the dishes without losing their original soul.

At the event, diners experienced a series of dishes such as Mix Sai Gon (mixed rice paper), Banh Mi Pho (grilled bread with salt and chili), or Ngoc Vang Quan Ganh (fried corn with onion cream sauce). Although presented creatively and with carefully selected ingredients, these dishes still maintain the connection between tradition and modernity.

Street bread is skillfully and creatively transformed by the chef's artistic hands.

Culinary creativity is a global trend thanks to cultural exchange, but it is also challenging because it requires careful research from the chef. Behind simple dishes like vermicelli and pho are emotional stories and admirable dedication.

When old dishes tell stories in a new way

Dishes imbued with Vietnamese identity now become a bridge between tradition and modernity, told in the language of the new generation.

This trend represents a clear shift: from worshipping Western techniques, Vietnamese chefs are beginning to regain pride in their homeland's heritage - from regional dishes to traditional cooking methods.

Culinary Roots - keeping the soul of old dishes - blowing with new style

This is how the younger generation pursues the Culinary Roots philosophy: keeping the spirit of old dishes but telling them in a new way. A bowl of pho can be simplified into a few condensed ingredients and presented like a work of art. A piece of banh duc lac that reminds one of home can become the highlight of a fine dining.

It's not just the cooking that matters - it's the story behind the dish.

Chef Nguyen Van Lap, brand ambassador of UFS Vietnam, shared more about the challenge of bringing dishes associated with memories to the restaurant chain's menu: "In my opinion, the most difficult thing is how to present and decorate to refresh the dish but still keep the soul intact. For today's young generation, if you want to be accepted, you need to tell stories through images."

When asked about the fine line when modernizing heritage dishes, he said: "To be creative, you have to understand the core of the dish. Understanding culinary culture is the foundation for not losing the original spirit."

Talking about the future of Vietnamese cuisine, he affirmed: "As a Vietnamese chef, I always believe that Vietnamese cuisine will reach international level if told with a new approach."

New Tastes of the Future: Eat to Feel, to Live

Cuisine is a mirror of culture. Each traditional dish is associated with memories and locality. But in modern life, tastes are changing: young people prefer lightness, health and emotion over traditional strong flavors.

Nowadays, diners don't just want delicious food - they also want "food with a story": what story does the food tell? Where does it come from? Is it healthy? Is it friendly to a natural lifestyle?

And finally, “experiential eating”: visual, tactile, personalizing every detail. It’s a journey of eating with your eyes, nose, hands, and… your heart.

Quang rolls "awaken" the senses of the diners through the talented hands of the chef.

From a one-way experience, diners now actively participate in designing their meals - creating a personalized, sophisticated, emotional experience with the chef.

It is the new standard of future taste - where emotion and taste must go hand in hand.

Opportunity for Vietnamese cuisine to break through

This is the golden time for Vietnamese cuisine to step out into the world with a new look. Not only pho or banh mi, little-known dishes such as banh duc lac, cha ca co - Hanoi's hometown gifts - can completely create trends if given a creative soul.

The event attracted attention with the appearance of experienced chefs.

At the event, dishes such as Singapore Salad (a combination of Asian and European herbs), Quang rolls (European-style Quang noodles) or Xoi Chon May Troi (crab sticky rice) showed the flexible transformation ability of Vietnamese chefs.

Not only delicious, they are also rich in cultural identity. The trend of fresh ingredients - low fat - good for health also helps Vietnamese cuisine more attractive to international friends.

Participating in international culinary events is a way to promote the image and pave the way for Vietnamese restaurants to break through.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/di-san-am-thuc-va-khau-vi-tuong-lai-hoa-quyen-hay-tach-biet-185250815112330612.htm