Two Vietnamese dishes among 100 world's best rated rice

Vietnamese dishes Banh chung (square sticky rice cake) and Com tam (broken rice) are among 100 world's best rated rice voted by famous culinary information site Taste Atlas.

The cake, which is meant to express gratitude to the heavens and the earth for favorable rain and wind to allow bumper crops, ranked 96th in the list.

During Tet - Lunar New Year, banh chung is also displayed on altars of worship to show filial piety to the ancestors and deceased.

"The main ingredients of this traditional Vietnamese rice cake are glutinous rice, mung beans, fatty pork and spices such as salt, pepper, green onions and nước mắm (fish sauce). The pork is seasoned, tucked into the rice and bean paste, wrapped in lá dong (a leafy plant), giang strings (a type of bamboo) or banana leaves, and then boiled," it wrote.

"Sometimes, in order to give the resulting wrap a better shape, square wooden molds are used. Bánh chưng has a valuable cultural and historical meaning. Served for tết, the Vietnamese New Year, it is said to have been created by a Vietnamese prince, Lang Liêu, along with bánh giầy.

"The two dishes symbolized the Earth and the sky and were made as a sign of respect for the ancestors. Nowadays bánh chưng is still placed in family altars as an honorary token for the ancestors. As for the way it is enjoyed, the cake is unwrapped from the leaves and can be served at room temperature or warm," Taste Atlas added.

Meanwhile, Com tam (broken rice), placed 17th, is a traditional Vietnamese dish that is typically sold as street food.

It consists of broken and imperfect rice grains that were traditionally chucked away after the milling process, but nowadays it is a signature dish of Ho Chi Minh City.

"Broken rice has a texture that's similar to normal rice, just smaller. When served, cơm tấm is accompanied by numerous toppings such as fried eggs, shredded pork skin, grilled pork chops, or deep-fried fish patties. The usual garnishes include lime wedges, chopped spring onions, and mint, while accompaniments served on the side include sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, pickled vegetables, or dipping sauces," Taste Atlas described.

It suggested: "Local cơm tấm eateries are easily found because they usually have a coal-fired grill on the street, dispersing the smoke scented with lemongrass and charred meat, a result of preparing the accompaniments for broken rice. In the past, these broken rice grains were usually used as animal feed or eaten by the farmers and their families."

In 2022, com tam is one of six Vietnamese dishes listed among 100 world's most popular dishes by TasteAtlas.

The best rice dish on the list is Risotto ai funghi porcini, a traditional Italian type of risotto prepared with porcini mushrooms as the key ingredient. Apart from fresh or dried porcini, the dish also contains carnaroli or arborio rice, olive oil, butter, shallots, white wine, meat stock, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, and pepper.