Definition

1. Noun:
   • A traditional Vietnamese dish: "nem" refers to a type of Vietnamese food item, typically consisting of seasoned ingredients wrapped in a casing.
   • Pork hash wrapped in banana leaf: Specifically, it can describe a preparation of minced pork, pork skin, and spices, wrapped and fermented or cooked.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Mẹ tôi làm nem rất ngon. (My mother makes very delicious nem.)
  • Nem là một món ăn truyền thống của Việt Nam. (Nem is a traditional Vietnamese dish.)
  • Chúng tôi thường ăn nem vào dịp Tết. (We often eat nem during Tet holiday.)

Advanced Usage

• "nem công chả phượng": A figurative idiom describing lavish, sumptuous, or exquisite food (literally: nem made from peacock, chả made from phoenix).

  • Bữa tiệc toàn là nem công chả phượng. (The feast was full of exquisite, lavish dishes.)

• "ăn miếng chả, trả miếng nem": An idiom meaning "to give tit for tat" or "to retaliate in kind," stemming from the pairing of these two similar food items.

  • Anh ta quyết định ăn miếng chả trả miếng nem. (He decided to give tit for tat.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nem rán / Nem Sài Gòn (n): A common variant meaning fried spring roll or egg roll. The wrapper is usually made of rice paper and it is deep-fried.

  • Tôi thích ăn nem rán với rau sống. (I like to eat fried spring rolls with fresh herbs.)

• Nem chua (n): A type of fermented pork sausage, often sour in taste.

  • Nem chua Thanh Hóa rất nổi tiếng. (Thanh Hoa's fermented pork sausage is very famous.)

• Nem chạo (n): A dish with grilled, minced meat, often served on sugarcane sticks.

Synonyms

• Chả: A related term for Vietnamese pork loaf or sausage, often mentioned alongside .
• Spring roll: A general English term that can sometimes be used for , though not a direct synonym for all types.

Related Phrases

• Gói nem: The action of wrapping nem.

  • Cả gia đình cùng ngồi gói nem. (The whole family sits together to wrap the nem.)

• Làm nem: The process of making nem.

  • Công thức làm nem của bà tôi rất đặc biệt. (My grandmother's recipe for making nem is very special.)

Related Idioms

• "Ông ăn chả, bà ăn nem": Similar to "ăn miếng chả, trả miếng nem," this idiom also refers to mutual retaliation, often used in the context of an unfaithful spouse.
  • Câu chuyện của họ chẳng khác nào ông ăn chả bà ăn nem. (Their story is nothing short of mutual retaliation.)

noun

1. pork hash wrapped in banana leaf