I grew up in a Vietnamese family, and Maggi Seasoning was a everlasting fixture in my mother’s pantry. Though fish sauce reigned supreme, Maggi was a detailed second. After the autumn of Saigon in 1975, meat grew to become scarce and costly. Lots of our meals consisted of rice and greens or fruits like watermelon and pineapple with a number of drops of Maggi to exchange the meat. My earliest reminiscence of Maggi was reaching for the small glass bottle with a vivid yellow and crimson label, sq. backside, slender neck, and crimson high, after which squirting its inky liquid onto trứng ốp la (sunny-side-up eggs) and dipping heat items of bánh mì (bread) proper into the yolks. Maggi remodeled these humble eggs into a unprecedented breakfast.
For a lot of Vietnamese individuals like my mother and myself, Maggi brings the magic to bánh mì. Maggi was the condiment for bánh mì at native bánh mì deli and road distributors’ carts. To this present day, one in every of my favourite breakfasts consists of a heat loaf of bánh mì with chả lụa (steamed pork sausage), black pepper, and some drops of Maggi to carry all of it collectively. I’ve handed on my love of Maggi to my children, who take pleasure in their sunny-side-up eggs and bò né (Vietnamese steak and eggs) with Maggi. Identical to my mother, I’ve made Maggi a everlasting fixture in my pantry; it enhances the flavors of salad dressing, marinades, soups, and braises.
The French launched Maggi Seasoning, together with baguettes, ham, pâté, saucissons, cheese, and butter, to Vietnam at the start of their colonization. Maggi was created by Julius Maggi, a Swiss miller, in 1886 as an alternative to meat extract. Produced from hydrolyzed vegetable protein, it packs a ton of taste. Whereas much like soy sauce in look and consistency, its taste profile is totally different and complicated. Soy sauce tends to be one-note. Maggi, however, brings umami with its salty and barely candy notes. Maggi has a excessive sodium content material, so use it sparingly — particularly in recipes that additionally make the most of fish sauce, salt, hoisin sauce, or oyster sauce.
Within the condiment aisle at Asian supermarkets, you may discover country-specific Maggi merchandise like Maggi Seasoning (imported from Europe), German (MAGGI Würze), French (Arome), and Chinese language. The European variations, synonymous with Maggi-Würze, have a depth of taste on account of their concentrated taste and addition of MSG. The Chinese language model accommodates no MSG and has a extra diluted and lighter notice. The European bottles have the traditional crimson lid, whereas the Chinese language bottle has a yellow lid. Attributable to commerce and migration during the last century, you’ll find different Maggi variations from Japanese Europe to Mexico and the Philippines. Each Maggi product is formulated to suit regional style and amplify the recipes utilized in that nation.
Recipes to Strive with Maggi
