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Cơm tấm in Vietnamese
is cooked rice
from fractured rice grains. Tấm refers to the broken rice grains, while cơm refers to cooked rice.
It is usually served with grilled pork
(either ribs or shredded) plus the Vietnamese dish bì (thinly shredded pork mixed with cooked and thinly shredded pork skin) over broken rice. The rice and meat are served with various greens and pickled vegetables, along with a prawn paste cake, trứng hấp (steamed egg), and grilled prawns. Typically, restaurants will serve this popular combination rice plate with a small bowl of nước chấm, as well as a small bowl of soup broth (canh) with garlic chives (to cleanse the throat).
The broken varieties are often less expensive, so are preferred by poorer consumers or used as raw material (such as in beer brewing
). Due to the different size and shape of the grains, broken rice has a different texture from "unbroken" rice. Some chefs and consumers may prefer the qualities of broken rice for certain dishes.
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
is cooked rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
from fractured rice grains. Tấm refers to the broken rice grains, while cơm refers to cooked rice.
It is usually served with grilled pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
(either ribs or shredded) plus the Vietnamese dish bì (thinly shredded pork mixed with cooked and thinly shredded pork skin) over broken rice. The rice and meat are served with various greens and pickled vegetables, along with a prawn paste cake, trứng hấp (steamed egg), and grilled prawns. Typically, restaurants will serve this popular combination rice plate with a small bowl of nước chấm, as well as a small bowl of soup broth (canh) with garlic chives (to cleanse the throat).
Broken rice
Some rice grains break in the transport and processing of the rice from the field to the pot. Machinery is available to separate the broken grains from the whole grains. Broken rice may or may not have lower fiber and nutrient content, but generally has a similar energy content to intact rice.The broken varieties are often less expensive, so are preferred by poorer consumers or used as raw material (such as in beer brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
). Due to the different size and shape of the grains, broken rice has a different texture from "unbroken" rice. Some chefs and consumers may prefer the qualities of broken rice for certain dishes.