Peruvian chef hails Vietnam cuisine among world's best

Chef José Maria Murga Brescia, who has been to Vietnam twice, called Vietnam among the world's top destinations as he is impressed with banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich), lemongrass pork skewers and pho noodle soup.

The chef who is in Hanoi as part of the Peruvian Culinary Week (Oct. 24-29) said he once booked a food tour to explore the capital's cuisine.

"I was especially impressed by street food, the best of which is bun cha. The flavor is very attractive and unique," he said of Hanoi's iconic grilled pork with vermicelli noodles.

He said he also tried pho noodle soup, banh mi and nem lui (lemongrass pork skewers) in Nha Trang.

"I have traveled to many places and visited many countries. For me, Vietnamese cuisine is among the top in the world," he said.

Commenting on Vietnamese and Peruvian dishes, the chef said that there were many similarities.

In Peru, people also cook with a lot of vegetables, seafood, and meat because the country has a diverse terrain from seas to high mountains.

However, while Peru is rich with thousands of types of vegetables, especially potatoes, Vietnam has a better variety of green vegetables, especially herbs.

Brescia even brought some perilla seeds back to Peru and planted them in a small garden, using them to prepare dishes in his restaurant.

Born in 1983, Chef Brescia has nearly 20 years of experience in the culinary industry. He has brought his love for traditional dishes of his homeland, introducing to diners in many countries and territories around the world such as Mexico, America, France, Spain and Vietnam.

Currently, he is the operator and founder of La Piámide del Mar in Northern Peru and is also the head chef of many restaurants on Corsica island in France such as Dorsia, Poison Rouge and Crudo Bonifacio.

This is not the first time a celebrity chef has praised Vietnam's cuisine.

British celebrity chef and television personality Gordon Ramsay last year named Laos and Vietnam the world's top food destinations, calling the latter an "extraordinary melting pot of great food."