Popularly known as Vietnamese noodle soup, Pho Vietnam is the pinnacle of Vietnamese cuisine. Pho is also considered one of the most popular street food in almost every major city in Vietnam, including Hanoi, Ha Long, Nam Dinh, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Never before has there been a more quintessential Vietnamese dish than Pho. Pho Vietnam, popularly known as Vietnamese noodle soup, is a highlight of Vietnamese cuisine. Pho is also considered one of the most popular street foods in almost every major city in Vietnam, including Hanoi, Ha Long, Nam Dinh, and Ho Chi Minh City.
To date, no other dish captures the quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine like Pho. Ask any Vietnamese living outside Vietnam what food they eat first when they return home. They are very likely to get Pho as the first answer.
Pho is undoubtedly an ambassador to help raise the profile of Vietnamese cuisine on the world map. But in people’s hearts, Pho is not just a universal dish, it is a proud cultural monument, It is an intimate image that remains in our souls as a reminder of how rich and unique our heritage is.
About Pho-A Brief History
What is Pho?
Pho was first defined in the Vietnamese dictionary in 1930 simply as “a dish of flat rice vermicelli cooked with beef”. Pho also first appeared in prominent dictionaries such as Oxford Learners, Cambridge Dictionary, and Merriam-Webster, recognizing it as “a type of Vietnamese soup made from beef or chicken broth usually served”.
It has been served with rice noodles, shredded beef and chicken, and herbs.” With this introduction, the dish’s fame skyrocketed and became even more popular with people around the world. Where did the name Pho come from? The complex historical background has made it difficult to claim the originality of Vietnamese cuisine.
As for Pho, a local dish deeply tied to Vietnamese culture, there are controversies and hypotheses surrounding its name and origin. It gets even more complicated.
Some argue that Pho is a variation of Chinese beef noodle soup. It was sung in the streets, and eventually, the word was shortened to fen, which means noodles. But Vietnamese cuisine has so many noodle dishes that it doesn’t make sense to say that Pho is rooted in the word fen. Furthermore, if you look closely, you can see the differences between the two in all aspects, including ingredients, cooking methods, and appearance. Chinese-style beef noodle soup is a thick, oily, flavorful broth made with pickled white carrots, vegetables, and chili oil. Pho soup, on the other hand, is clear, light, and sweet.
Popularly known as Vietnamese noodle soup, Pho Vietnam is the pinnacle of Vietnamese cuisine. Pho is also considered one of the most popular street food in almost every major city in Vietnam, including Hanoi, Ha Long, Nam Dinh and Ho Chi Minh City. To date, no other dish captures the quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine like Pho.
Another hypothesis is that Pho comes from the French dish pot-au-feu. This claim is due to the similar pronunciation of the words “feu” and “Pho”. Again, French pot-au-feu is a beef stew, cooked with lots of vegetables and large pieces of freshly cut meat, and eaten with bread rather than pasta. The claim that Pho is an adapted version of French cuisine and that the name Pho is a word borrowed from French is not persuasive, as they are directly different from the main carbohydrate component.
At the same time, Pho is proven to be Vietnamese in origin. First, the word Pho has its roots in Chu Nom. Chu Nom was recognized as the national writing system of Vietnam before the introduction of the Latin alphabet. The three ideographic elements of the word Pho, which literally means rice, word, and popularity, describe a rice-based dish that has become popular by word of mouth. There is also literary and historical evidence proving the originality of Vietnamese cuisine so we can agree on the origin of the name Pho, which was most likely formed using the Vietnamese ideographic system.
Origin of Pho
Before 1884, Vietnamese were not accustomed to eating beef, and buffalo meat was the main source of protein. Originating in Nam Dinh province in the Red River Delta, buffalo noodle soup was originally served only to the working class and lower classes. In the late 19th century, the Red River became an important trading point, creating a bustling scene with stacks of ships transporting a variety of goods to Hanoi. Therefore, the demand for food along the river increased dramatically, and buffalo noodle soup was the most popular because it was cheap and filling. This great demand led to a shortage of water buffalo meat.
Beef, on the other hand, remained a “luxury” commodity in the North, consumed primarily by Western Vietnamese officers. was just one wholesaler named Alber Billux?
But when Indochina came under French colonial rule in the late 19th century, demand for beef increased throughout the region, and Vietnam was no exception. This was especially the case in Hanoi, where a large number of senior French officers were stationed.
According to an article published in 1885, the French in Hanoi demanded fresh beef butchers, French laundromats, skilled tailors, shoemakers, and billiard tables in cafes. Following this proposal, the first butcher shop opened on Hanoi Street a few months later, ending the beef monopoly.
Westerners traditionally consumed only the best parts of the beef, such as lean meat and steaks, and left the rest to be given away. These parts, especially beef bones, were transported by boat down the Red River to make up for the lack of buffalo meat. Buffalo meat noodles were gradually replaced by beef, but this replacement initially drew complaints about the smell of the meat and the need to skim the fat out of the broth when it cooled. came up with the idea to keep the pot of soup on low heat at all times to avoid the nasty layer of beef tallow on the surface. This is believed to be the origin of the tradition of eating piping hot Pho in Vietnam.
In general, therefore, Pho is a purely Vietnamese dish originating from Nam Dinh, and with the increasing influence and custom of beef by the French, it changed from buffalo meat noodle soup to hot beef noodle soup. Beef Pho continues to be a favorite, with chicken Pho coming in second, but Vietnamese chefs are always coming up with something new. Dishes such as white wine-braised beef Pho (Pho sot vang) and sour Pho (Pho Chua) were less popular, but freshly made Pho noodle rolls were hits.
With the growing interest in Vietnamese food and travel, there is an incredible amount of excitement surrounding Pho. In Hanoi, generations of family-owned Pho shops are actively trading with traditionalists, but young people are interested in non-traditional dishes such as chicken Pho noodle salad and fried Pho noodles. Souvenir shops in the historic Old Town sell Pho T-shirts and postcards. Pho is on the bucket list of tourists and street food tours. Four cocktails are on the menu at the famous Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel.
Pho has long history in Vietnam with varieties and unique tastes
Varieties of Pho
“Pho” cuisine, based on the method of preparation is divided into Pho types. “Pho Nuoc” – noodles with soup, “Pho Xiao” – fried noodles, “Pho Kho” – dry noodles, and “Pho Trang” – mixed noodles. In addition, each type has a variety of dishes that make up the various flavors of “phở”.
Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)
This is the most popular and traditional of the various types of ‘phở’. The most famous dish of “phở nước” is “phở bò”. This is a beef noodle soup originating from Nam Dinh province in northern Vietnam. A glass of Phở nước consists of bánh Phở.
Banh Pho is a long-simmered sweet soup of beef bones (or chicken bones in southern Vietnam) and slices of meat (beef, chicken, or shrimp), all topped with onions and briefly soaked. with boiling water. This dish is served with lime, chili sauce, and chili garlic vinegar. Hanoians love to enjoy ‘phở nước’ with fried breadsticks.
On the other hand, those living in the South eat “Pho” with raw vegetables such as Vietnamese basil, coriander, green sprouts, pickled long onions, and bowls of thick soup served to order. “Phở nước” is preferably served hot.
Other varieties of “Phở” have appeared in recent decades, such as “phở xào”, “phở trộn”, and “phở khô”. “Phở xào” is stir-fried with beef and vegetables. “Phở trộn” is a kind of salad made by mixing “bánh phở” with some herbs, raw vegetables, and fried beef and topped with roasted peanuts.
The special and typical types of Pho
Pho Xao
A plate of fried Pho fills the afternoon
As the name suggests, these noodles are served in two bowls. The bowl features a “banh Pho,” a mix of raw vegetables such as stir-fried ground pork, sautéed onions, lettuce, and mung bean sprouts. The other serves sweet soup with sliced beef. While “phở xào” and “phở khô” are best served hot or warm, “phở trộn” is a very popular chilled dish on hot summer days.
The above is everything you need to know about Pho, one of the long-time traditional food in Viet Nam. Pho has also become an amazing choice for foreigners when visiting Viet Nam with its unique and tasty flavor and spice.
