“Dictionary” of Vietnamese delicacies in pictures

Food illustration has become familiar, especially to many young people. The appeal of this genre is further confirmed when colorful food illustration books are published.

With rich and unique dishes, Vietnam is ranked in the list of countries with great cuisine in the world , including famous dishes such as pho, banh mi, nem ran, bun bo Hue, bun cha, coffee,... that make many foreign visitors "fall in love" when they try it once.

And of course, for every Vietnamese, the S-shaped country is a culinary paradise, especially with street food. Every region of Vietnam has snacks that attract tourists: "Our country has thousands of delicious dishes/ The sweet dishes of the North, the crispy dishes of the Central region/ The strangely sweet dishes of the South/ The high mountains and vast seas, let's go find them together". Author Dang Hong Quan has taken readers on a journey to find delicious Vietnamese dishes through the picture book "Lê la giá rẻ".

Published in 2017, the two books “Lê la giá rẻ” and “Án quả xuyen Việt” are probably the first culinary picture books published by a Vietnamese author. With cute and vivid, cheerful and humorous drawings, Dang Hong Quan’s drawings make viewers imagine the bustling scene of food stalls, sometimes even messy and messy like in real life.

If readers were previously familiar with the pages of essays, research, and travelogues about cuisine with dishes, ways of eating, ways of preparing, etc., then the duo of books "Lê la ăn nhỏ" and "Án quả xuyen Việt" are like a continuation and creativity with the writing style of adding additional information by writer Nguyen Truong Quy to clarify and deepen what Dang Hong Quan's paintings have not yet fully expressed. Writing and drawing about pho, the national dish of the Vietnamese people, for example, the authors not only skillfully "praise" pho gà but also provide some famous pho gà addresses in Hanoi or give tips on how to eat "properly" with beef pho and pho gà.

Also released in 2017 is the book “Vietnam’s Delicious Region” by author LeRin. Like a “dictionary” with simple pictures and information boxes briefly introducing the dishes, “Vietnam’s Delicious Region” quickly attracted readers with its elaborate, beautiful, and vivid drawings, “awakening” the taste buds of culinary “followers”.

“Vietnam Delicacies” is the first book LeRin has made as an illustrator, before that he worked in the fashion industry. He shared: “During my travels across the three regions of the country, I enjoyed wonderful rustic dishes. That is what motivated me to work hard day and night drawing and drawing, and finally, after exactly one year, this book was published. Our Vietnamese cuisine is truly rich with vermicelli dishes, rice dishes, snacks and cakes... This book is just a small part of that huge culinary treasure.”

Perhaps, LeRin himself did not expect that his book “Vietnam’s delicious regions” could be so loved by readers. Up to now, the book has been reprinted more than 9 times, and at the same time opened up many opportunities for its “father” to cooperate with a number of big brands. These successes help LeRin to be more confident and steady on the path of culinary painting. The book series “Vietnam along the region travelogue” (2 volumes) or most recently “Tet ba mien” by LeRin continues to be loved by readers when drawing a map of Vietnamese cuisine with attractive pictures.

With the pioneering steps in food painting by Dang Hong Quan and LeRin, many young people who love to hold brushes are also ready to try their hand when the culinary illustration playgrounds are opened. Like the illustrated book project of Kim Dong Publishing House with a set of 3 books about the Central region including "Thuc", "Kien", "Tich", in which the work "Thuc" brings vivid and colorful culinary experiences through illustrations of typical dishes of the Central region by young artists. Most of the authors are people who love to travel, not afraid to go to communes and villages to experience rustic dishes that are gradually disappearing, then express them through paintings and a few introductions with the hope of helping the dishes not to be lost. Therefore, in the book "Thuc", besides famous dishes of the Central region, you can find specialties that only locals or long-term guests know.

In addition, the Hanoi Urban Sketching Group also launched the Hanoi Street Food Sketching Challenge and received more than 100 diverse and attractive drawings of the capital's special dishes such as pho, vermicelli with snails, vermicelli with tofu and shrimp paste, stewed chicken noodles, Thanh Tri rice rolls, bread, etc. Or an exhibition "Every region has its own food" was opened, which started from an online contest of the Vietnam Local Artist Group community set up by TiredCity on Facebook, leaving many impressions on the large number of people who came to admire it.

Whether publishing books or exhibiting paintings, these vibrant culinary illustration playgrounds have shown that culinary illustration is also a way to tell the story of Vietnam's history, geography, and culture in an attractive way.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/tu-dien-mon-ngon-nuoc-viet-bang-tranh-693977.html