Pogranicze smaków. Antropologiczna refleksja o rozwoju wietnamskiej kuchni w Polsce od lat 90

Boundaries of Taste. Anthropological Reflection on the Development of Vietnamese Cuisine in Poland from the 1990s

Vietnamese cuisine in Poland carries cultural intimacy that researchers can interpret and use in order to identify the boundaries of taste. Through that lens we can see a number of new dishes in Poland made by Vietnamese cooks from Vietnamese ingredients and products, but, simultaneously, created by Polish consumers in urgent need for different tastes from the world after the regime change. Sajgonki, a localised spring-roll with original rice paper outside, but mainly cabbage inside, is a good example here. It offers a familiar taste in an oriental cover, it is cheap, and it breaks the monotony in the former Polish People’s Republic. Moreover, five-flavours has become the name of the Asian annual film festival in Warsaw; currently the eight edition of the festival takes place. As a result of globalisation, Phở and Bá nh Mì , after their success in the world’s largest cities, have been brought to Warsaw recently. It is only a part of Vietnamese cuisine in Poland that carries ethnic markers, reinvented with locally produced elements. Those three distinguished groups of food show the complexity of Vietnamese cuisine produced by Vietnamese migrants in Poland.