Che Dau Trang

Vietnamese desserts and appetizers are not popular among the Vietnamese until the French introduced pastries and chocolate for desserts and snacks.

Fruits and tea, trà, are traditional Vietnamese dessert served after a meal. Chocolate is not very common or even well liked by the average Vietnamese in Vietnam because of the bitter taste. Shocking isn’t it? Cocoa is not an indigenous plant in Vietnam. It has to be imported. Hence, chocolate is expensive.

Vietnam grows an abundance of rice therefore rice is also creatively used for snacks. A Vietnamese favorite dessert is flavored sweet starchy pudding known as chè or steamed glutinous rice known as xôi. There is a main drawback of having xôi as a snack. One bowl of xôi will definitely fill up your appetite. Xôi is occasionally served as a standalone meal.

French pastries, ice cream, and yogurt are popular snacks with the children. Many snacks may be served as desserts. Finger foods such as eggrolls (page 28), springrolls (page 32), and Vietnamese meatballs (page 133) make great appetizers. Recipes are available in my cook book, A Vietnamese Kitchen.