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The Vietnamese spring roll is a dish that the Vietnamese take pride in. And why shouldn’t they? Today, this delectable roll has travelled to the plates of people far and wide and has come to be one of the most popular types of spring rolls that foodies enjoy. The Vietnamese spring roll or Gỏi cuốn is a rice paper roll that has fillings such as pork, prawn, vegetables and rice vermicelli. It is served at room temperature and is one of the most recognised dishes of the Vietnamese cuisine, along side Pho.
The debated versions of the origin of the Vietnamese spring roll
History is said to be influenced by narratives and therefore, there always exists two versions of the same event. This is true in the case of the Vietnamese spring roll too. While some food writers maintain that the origin of the Vietnamese spring roll has to be credited to the culinary influence of the Chinese spring roll, Vietnamese food writers oppose this. The latter say that the Vietnamese spring roll is nothing like the Chinese spring roll. It has its own identity. For starters, unlike the Chinese spring roll, Gỏi cuốn is wrapped in Vietnamese rice paper called Bánh tráng - which was created by the Vietnamese. In fact, the Vietnamese have legend stories about how this delectable rice roll originated on their land.
Chinese Spring Roll (L) Vietnamese Spring Roll (R) Credits: Freepik, Pixabay
Some food writers stick to the version of the Chinese immigrants bringing the spring roll to Vietnam during their first immigration around the second century. This view espouses that even though there are some differences in the recipes of the Chinese and the Vietnamese spring roll, like the wrapper, a lot of their ingredients are the same. The opposing view further says that a lot many threads of the cuisine of Vietnam have the cultural influence of the Chinese cuisine. The Chinese occupation of Vietnam brought with it the culinary heritage of China to Vietnam including an introduction of noodles, steamed buns, roast meats etc. The opposing view however, concedes to the fact that only the 'rice paper' wrapper (and not the entire dish) that the Vietnamese spring roll is wrapped in, originated and was developed by the people of Vietnam.
