Loving the Porky

Vietnamese pork rolls rock.  Their reputation took a bit of battering a number of years ago due to a spate of food poisoning episodes (including deaths) during which the media called them 'poison pork rolls' (PPR).  Not so poisonous nowadays but the label has stuck.  My advice?  Choose your Viet bakery wisely and make sure they have refrigerated deli displays. 

*rings Spu's mobile*

Spu - 'Yeah what?'

Me - 'Can you get me a poison pork roll?'

Spu - 'Yeah ok'

Yep, you are one of my favourite foods.  I normally avoid white breads but for you PPR, I will always make an exception.

I have to say, PPRs are probably one of the best things to result from the French colonisation of Vietnam.  (Obviously other not so great things happened too but this is not a political discussion).  PPRs are a fine example of fusion food.  A baguette lined with pate and egg mayonnaise, filled various cold cut slices of pork, topped off with pickled carrots and sometimes daikon, a stalk of spring onion (or an onion variant), coriander, cucumber, optional chilli and finished with pepper and a dash of soy sauce.  

Just analyse that.  A baguette.  Not quite a French baguette but a baguette clearly influenced by French cuisine, right down to a scored surface.  The main difference is the use of rice flour instead of wheat flour and shaped more like an AFL football rather than a stick.  

Pate.  It is highly unlikely that Viets ate pate before the French rolled around.  Same with mayonnaise.  

Pork.  This includes cha lua and a pink rind pork slice (forgot it's name) amongst others.  I suspect these were 'ham/jambon substitutes' as the French style ham probably wasn't readily available in Viet-land. 

All the vegies and condiments.  That's so Viet.  I reckon the Viets thought, 'Hey, we eat a lot of fresh vegies with our other foods.  Let's see how tasty we can make this roll.'  Hey presto, the 'French ham and pate baguette' was elevated to a whole new, super level.  

I was a bit surprised to see in Paris that the PPRs used French style rather than Viet style baguettes.  I guess there's not need to imitate the baguette when you're in the Land of Baguettes.  However, the baguettes found in Australia are actually more 'authentic' and similar to that in Vietnam..... assuming you could label 'authentic' onto something that is essentially fusion cuisine.  I say yes!  It has gained authenticity in it's own right!  

I *heart*pork rolls and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.  *muah!!*