cơm tấm

{{Infobox food

|name =Cơm tấm

|image = Cơm Tấm, Da Nang, Vietnam.jpg

|image_size = 250px

|caption =Cơm tấm served with grilled pork and fish sauce.

|alternate_name =Cơm sườn

|country =Vietnam

|region =Southern Vietnam

|creator =

|course =Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

|type =

|served =

|main_ingredient =Broken rice, grilled rib, fish sauce with sugar, pickled carrots, oil garnish

|variations =

|calories =

|other =

}}

{{lang|vi|Cơm tấm}} ({{IPA|vi|kəːm tə̌m|lang}}) is a Vietnamese dish made from rice with fractured rice grains. {{lang|vi|Tấm}} refers to the broken rice grains, while {{lang|vi|cơm}} refers to cooked rice.Thanh Nien {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130615112026/http://www.thanhniennews.com/2010/pages/20120105-hot-spots.aspx Hot Spots]}} 5 Jan 2012 "With your craftsmanship in hand, return to Saigon for a master class in clay-pot cooking, crafting cơm tấm (broken rice), caramelized pork belly,"{{Cite book|last=Freeman, Meera|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55104782|title=The flavours of Vietnam|date=2002|publisher=Black Inc.|others=Nhân, Lê Văn.|isbn=1-86395-283-7|location=Melbourne, Victoria, Australia|oclc=55104782}} Although there are varied names like {{lang|vi|cơm tấm Sài Gòn}} (Saigon broken rice), particularly for Saigon, the main ingredients remain the same for most cases.

History

{{multiple image

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| image1 = Green_onion_in_oil.jpg

| caption1 = Vietnamese scallions and oil garnish used on top of Cơm Tấm

| alt1 = A small bowl of oil with green onion in it. This mix has been well heat in a pan. Nearby are whole green onions and a few chopped green onion. It looks like they are on a brown, wooden chopping board

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| caption2 = A typical serving of Cơm Tấm

| image3 = Étale_de_cơm_tấm_au_marché.jpg

| caption3 = Cơm Tấm stall on the street.

| alt3 = Cơm Tấm stall on the street. A board titled "Cơm Tấm" is hung on top of the stall. On the stall, a cook is making Cơm Tấm for his customers who are waiting around the stall for their to-go order. In front of him is a small, transparent glass cupboard where he keeps his ingredients ready to put in the dish. Behind the stall, it looks like a small building where this stall stores its stuff. Most of the time, in Vietnam, this "building" is the owner's house. This is how people do casual Cơm Tấm business in Vietnam.

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In its early days, Cơm Tấm was a popular dish among poor rice farmers in the Mekong Delta due to their economic circumstances.{{Cite book|last=Son|first=Nam|title=Đất Gia Định - Bến Nghé Xưa & Người Sài Gòn|publisher=Tre Publishing House|year=2000|isbn=978-604-1-12851-4|location=Ho Chi Minh City}} During bad rice seasons, these people did not have enough good rice to sell, so they used broken rice to cook. Broken rice is fragments of rice grains broken during the handling processes and was regarded as inferior rice at the time. Broken rice was used solely because it was readily available in the farmers' houses and could fill their stomachs for a long time.

Since Vietnam's urbanization in the first half of the 20th century, Cơm Tấm became popular across Southern provinces, including Saigon.{{Cite book|last=Marton, Renee|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/914328434|title=Rice : a global history|date=15 September 2014|isbn=978-1-78023-412-0|location=London|oclc=914328434}}{{Cite web|title=How Broken Rice Went From Poor to Popular|url=https://www.ozy.com/around-the-world/how-broken-rice-went-from-poor-to-popular/96272/|date=2019-09-13|website=OZY|access-date=2020-05-06}}{{Cite web|title=Saigon's Classic: Broken Rice|url=https://www.itourvn.com/blog/saigon-s-classic-broken-rice|website=i Tour Vietnam|language=en-gb|access-date=2020-05-18}} When Saigon was bustling with many people from many countries around the world, food sellers adapted Cơm Tấm to be more suitable for foreign customers like the French, American, Chinese, and Indian. As a result, grilled pork, chả trứng (Vietnamese-style steamed omelette with pork) was added to Cơm Tấm. Also, the portion started being served on plates with a fork instead of in traditional bowls with chopsticks.{{Cite web|title=Nghề Bếp Á Âu|url=https://nghebep.com/com-tam-mon-an-ket-hop-tay-ta-thu-vi|date=2017-07-19|website=Nghề Bếp Á Âu|language=vi-VN|access-date=2020-05-06}} Nowadays, Cơm Tấm is popular among everyone, and is a "standardized part of the [Saigon] culture", so much that there is a common metaphorical saying (translated from Vietnamese): "Saigon people eat Cơm Tấm like Ha Noi people eat Pho".{{Cite web|title=Hít hà mùi thơm hấp dẫn của những quán cơm tấm lâu đời ở Sài Gòn|url=https://kenh14.vn/hit-ha-mui-thom-hap-dan-cua-nhung-quan-com-tam-lau-doi-o-sai-gon-20180426035611783.chn|last=VCCorp.vn|date=2018-04-26|website=kenh14.vn|language=vi|access-date=2020-05-06}}{{Cite web|title=Điểm danh 7 món ăn đặc sản Sài Gòn bạn nhất định phải thử một lần trong đời|url=https://phunusuckhoe.vn/diem-danh-7-mon-an-dac-san-sai-gon-ban-nhat-dinh-phai-thu-mot-lan-trong-doi-c24a329269.html|website=Phụ nữ sức khỏe|language=vi|access-date=2020-05-06}}{{Cite web|title=Cơm tấm Sài Gòn|url=https://dantri.com.vn/mon-ngon-diem-dep/com-tam-sai-gon-1420812927.htm|last=Trí|first=Dân|website=Báo điện tử Dân Trí|date=2 January 2015 |language=vi|access-date=2020-05-06}}

File:Rice Bowl Small.jpg

Ingredients

Although there are many variations of Cơm Tấm that have different ingredients and styles, a popular, featured Cơm Tấm dish commonly known as "Cơm Tấm Sườn Bì Chả" has the following ingredients:{{Cite web|title=What is broken rice? Here 's What you should Know !!!|url=http://yummyvietnam.net/what-is-broken-rice-here-what-you-should-know/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514141542/https://yummyvietnam.net/what-is-broken-rice-here-what-you-should-know/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 14, 2021|date=2019-04-25|website=YummY Vietnam|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-07}}{{Cite web|title=Com Tam – Traditional Vietnamese Broken Rice Food|url=http://culinaryvietnam.com/2015/03/com-tam-traditional-vietnamese-broken-rice-food/|last=adminict|date=2015-03-02|website=Vietnam Culinary Travel Agency: Vietnam Food Tour Packages|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-07}}{{Cite news|last=Cook|first=Karla|date=2003-11-23|title=RESTAURANTS; Benefits of Vietnamese|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/23/nyregion/restaurants-benefits-of-vietnamese.html|access-date=2020-05-18|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|title=Real street food – No 3: Cơm Tấm, broken rice from Ho Chi Minh City|url=http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/oct/30/com-tam-broken-rice-ho-chi-minh-city-real-street-food|last=City|first=Vinh Dao in Ho Chi Minh|date=2014-10-30|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2020-05-18}}

Broken Rice – a traditionally cheaper grade of rice produced by damage in milling.{{Cite web|title=Broken Rice – What Is It?|url=https://runawayrice.com/blog/broken-rice-what-is-it/|website=runawayrice.com|date=19 August 2018 |access-date=2020-05-18}} It is mainly used as a food industry ingredient in America and Europe, but in West Africa and Southeast Asia is used for direct human consumption. Broken rice is fragmented, not defective; there is nothing wrong with it.[https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2002/may/rice ars.usda.gov Agriculture Research, May 2002] This is the main ingredient of Cơm Tấm.
Sườn nướng – Translated as grilled pork ribs, but there are two common varieties: grilled pork chops, and grilled pork ribs, which is also called "sườn non".
Bì – thin strands of pork and cooked pork skin seasoned with roast rice powder
Chả trứng – Vietnamese-style steamed omelet with meatloaf. Nowadays this may be substituted with an omelet or fried eggNancie McDermott Quick and Easy Vietnamese 2012 "OMELET WITH BEAN THREAD NOODLES AND PORK - chatrung - Order com tam bi in a Vietnamese café serving rice dishes, and you'll get a fabulous feast of rice along with shredded pork, peppery pork chops, and a chunk of this tasty omelet, which is called cha trung when it is served by itself..."
Scallion and oil garnish – chopped scallion lightly fried in heated oil until softened (serve both scallion and oil){{Cite web|title=Vietnamese Scallions & Oil Garnish Recipe (Mỡ Hành)|url=https://www.hungryhuy.com/vietnamese-scallions-oil-garnish-recipe-cach-lam-mo-hanh/|date=2012-12-03|website=Hungry Huy|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-18}}
Various vegetables, such as sliced cucumber and tomato, and pickled vegetables such as carrot and radish pickles
Mixed fish sauce (Nước mắm pha) – a sweet, sour, salty, savory or spicy sauce served in a small bowl beside the Cơm Tấm dish. This ingredient is commonly considered an important part of a Cơm Tấm dish

Serving

Although chopsticks are commonly used by Vietnamese, Cơm Tấm are enjoyed with a fork and spoon; and although the mixed fish sauce is commonly used for dipping in other Vietnamese dishes, for Cơm Tấm, the sauce is for spreading onto the dish as needed.{{Cite web|title=Saigon Street Food: Broken Rice (Com Tam)|url=https://guide.cmego.com/vietnamese-broken-rice-com-tam/|last=Pulido|first=Izzy|date=2019-04-06|website=Cmego Travel Guide|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-18|archive-date=2020-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024054548/https://guide.cmego.com/vietnamese-broken-rice-com-tam/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=Không chỉ có phở mà đặc sản cơm tấm Việt Nam cũng được đài truyền hình nước ngoài ca ngợi hết lời|url=https://kenh14.vn/khong-chi-co-pho-ma-dac-san-com-tam-viet-nam-cung-duoc-dai-truyen-hinh-nuoc-ngoai-ca-ngoi-het-loi-20180805153821393.chn|last=VCCorp.vn|date=2018-08-10|website=kenh14.vn|language=vi|access-date=2020-05-18}}

Honors

Cơm Tấm is one of 10 Vietnamese dishes recognized by the Asia Record Organisation (ARO) for their important culinary value to the international community.{{Cite web|title=Top ten Vietnamese dishes win Asian records|url=https://english.vov.vn/content/MTE2NzAy.vov|date=2012-08-05|website=VOV - VOV Online Newspaper|access-date=2020-04-28}}

References

Category:Vietnamese rice dishes

Category:Vietnamese words and phrases

Category:Vietnamese pork dishes