Foodie Gifts to Bring Home from Vietnam

Wine-Knows is going to Vietnam for the second time in February 2016.  Several clients have inquired about what kinds of gifts are best to bring back for foodie friends at home.  All require little space and have relatively small weight when compared to other gift items that may tempt you.

Coffee:

                 Coffee is an art-form in Vietnam...they even have their own drip maker.

Some of you may be scratching your head on this one----coffee from Vietnam?   Trust me when I say, "trust me" on this one. Vietnam is one of the world's largest coffee producers (second only to Brazil).   Like French Roast?  You'll enjoy the Vietnamese version...no doubt strongly influenced by the French occupation of the country for nearly 100 years.  And, I know just the place to buy it.

Lotus tea:

                                                         One sip and you'll be hooked!                                               

A dear Vietnamese friend from California  (born in Saigon) came on my last trip to Vietnam.  One of her favorite things as a child was lotus tea.  It was love at first sip for me.  Actually, it was love at first smell.  This tea has an intense but delicate floral aroma and taste.  The petals of the lotus plant are picked in the early morning and dried for this tea.  It's a culinary masterpiece.

5 spice powder:

                      With just a tablespoon or so, these packets are easy for packing.

Some of the dishes prepared in cooking classes on our first trip were made with this intoxicating mixture.  Yes, one can buy 5 spice in the USA, but the Vietnamese version is more aromatic and complex in flavor.  I plan to bring home double the amount I did on the last trip.

Dried strawberries:

                  While there are many dried fruits in Vietnam, the strawberries were special.

Yes, you can occasionally find these in the USA, but they are not as intense as those in Vietnam.  These are a scrumptious delicacy that are sure to please even the most discerning gourmet.

Dried snow mushrooms:

              I rushed to the market to buy these immediately following our cooking class.

I fell in love with these in northern Vietnam's mountains where tea is grown on hillside terraces against a breathtaking backdrop of rural villages and lush landscapes.  These delectable edibles grow on trunks of trees and are used in a variety of salads and main dishes.   I intend to fill my suitcase with bags of them as they are nearly weightless.

We have two spots left in the upcoming trip to Vietnam in February 2016.    The trip is showcased at www.WineKnowsTravel.com.

World’s 2nd Largest Coffee Producer---Vietnam

Coffee is a ritual in Vietnam & is often served in its own drip-pot 

The first morning of my recent trip to Vietnam one of the friends who I was traveling with greeted me in the hotel’s breakfast room with “You’re going to love their coffee!”  I thought she was referring to the Vietnamese iced coffee drink popular in California with sweetened condensed milk.  Instead, she passed me her steaming hot black coffee…and it was love at first sip. While waiting for the waitress to appear and order my own, I had to fight myself not to down her entire cup.  This was nirvana…definitely complex…hints of dark chocolate…with a nuttiness lingering in the background.  (BTW: I’m not a fan of the flavored coffees in the U.S. and this coffee was not in the same stratosphere as their American chemically- doctored counterparts.) 

When breakfast was over I asked the waitress where I could buy the coffee.  She replied “Right here.  We have had so many requests for it that we now sell it in one pound sacks for travelers.” I carried several sacks of this coffee with me throughout a two week trip in Vietnam, followed by Australia, then to New Zealand, and alas a week in Fiji.  I have been drinking a cup each morning since my return two weeks ago.  My overweight baggage charges were worth it as I never thought that I would be able to buy it in the states.  Wrong.

Since returning I’ve learned that Vietnamese coffee is available in the US due to the large immigrant community who missed their very special coffee. Moreover, I have discovered that Vietnam is second only to Brazil in coffee production and that coffee closely follows rice as Vietnam’s largest export.

The French introduced coffee to the country in the 1850’s but it wasn’t until after the recent war that Vietnam became a powerful coffee giant.  Ever heard of the Trung Nguyen?  Forbes assessed his worth to be a $100 million US dollars. This coffee baron owns 5 Bentleys and 10 Ferrari’s.  He is the Vietnamese Starbucks.

I was so impressed with my trip to Vietnam that I have decided to take a Wine Knows group in 2016 for a foodies’ tour of this magical country.  In the meanwhile, however, I’m forgoing my usual French Roast for my new found fave, Vietnamese coffee. 

A Fantastico Coffee Bar in Venice

Francesco and Issaco serve up the best service in Venice. 

There’s only one negative about staying at the 5 star Hotel Danieli in Venice---their breakfast is $70 US per person.  During the week of Carnivale I was on a mission to find the best place for morning coffee.  What I found was much more than that.

I was attending Carnivale with two dear American friends.  They insisted on taking me to a place they had discovered their first morning in Venice, Café Brasilia.  I recognized it immediately from two years ago when my husband and I had rented an apartment nearby.  Just a minute’s walk from La Fenice opera house, this charming spot offers the best bang for the Euro in Venice for breakfast, as well as light lunches and snacks throughout the day, and drinks in the evening.

The café is so named because they are one of the few places in the city offering Brazilian roasted coffee.  (Brazil is the world’s largest producer of coffee accounting for about one-third of our total production.)  But, everything else, is strictly Venetian, from the special pastries made only during Carnivale, to the glorious array of sandwiches (my fave was the panini with mozzarella, prosciutto & arugula).  There are also wonderful fruit salads and a great assortment of fresh fruit smoothies.

There is seating inside for about a dozen, however, handsome outside tables accommodate another dozen.  There’s a bar with space for another 10 or 12---as with all cafes in Italy, sit at a table and the price is more.  Cappucinos at Café Brasilia’s bar are an astounding value at $2 US--- cafes without half the atmosphere and service are double to triple that in the city.

Café Brasilia is one of those super simpatico places that all of us yearn to find in Europe.  It’s been owned by the same family for years and you’ll feel like your part of it by the end of your first cappuccino.  Ask for Francesco, Pio, or Issaco and take a copy of the BLOG with you.

Directions:  stand facing La Fenice, then take the street to your right (Verona) 100 yards.  Café Brasilia will be on your left.   Address:  San Marco 3658, Calle dei Assassini.

Web:  http://www.facebook.com/brasiliawinecaffe