History of Pho, Vietnam

Where did Pho, Vietnam really come from?

Up to now, there have been a lot of arguments about the history of Pho Vietnam. The most
popular one believes that pho came out at the beginning of the 20th century. Some people
think that pho Vietnam came from Nam Dinh City. Meanwhile, many people insist that pho
Vietnam appeared for the first time in Hanoi. And at the same time, the appearance of Pho to
be a major part of the culinary life of urban people in the French colonial period.
Moreover, Pho Vietnam is a harmony combination of 3 differents culinary including French,
Cantonese, and Vietnamese culinary. And the Vietnamese factor plays a major part. VN
people didn’t create Pho for themselves. However, it’s Vietnamese people that have
inherited, modified Pho, and then brought it such a golden reputation all over the world. 

HOW TO MAKE PHO

- How to prepare broth.
This is the most important stage. It decides whther the bowl of pho is tasty or not
- The broth of the traditional pho is simmered from the bone of the beef with some spices.
Those bones need to be cooked for long hours (8-10 hours) to get the sweet and tasty stock.
- At first let the fire get really loud. When the water boils up, reducing the heat and removing
any bubbles. Just do this until the water is clear. Put in a pot of broth with a little ginger and
grilled purple onions to both remove the smell of the beef bones and make the water fragrant.
- Noodle :
Made from non-glutinous rice flour, and cut into fibers. The noodles in the North are larger
than the ones in the South.
Meat for pho
- Mainly beef and chicken. Both of them are delicious and high nutrients.
+ If it is beef, the beef is thinly sliced. When eating, people can choose Rare – Medium or
Well-done (depending on the taste of the person), put the meat in the bowl of pho, sprinkle
some pre-chopped herbs and sprinkle with necessary spices.
+ If making with chicken, chicken is pre-boiled. When eating, people tear the chicken out and
place it on the noodles in the bowl, then add the necessary herbs and spices, pour the broth
into the bowl.
Herbs and spices
The characteristic of Vietnamese traditional food is often served with lots of herbs (Thai
basil, Culantro), onion, scallion, bean sprouts and various other accompaniments, such as hot
chili sauce, hoisin sauce and a slice of lemon. All things will increase the taste of dish.
After preparing all the steps above, we put the noodle in the bowl, then put
the beef or the chicken and herbs, after that pour the broth and finally it is the time
to enjoy the wonderful bowl of pho. Let’s start with a sip of broth. Then take a deep to
feel the sweet, fatty of the broth. Remember to be careful because the broth is very hot and
sometimes very spicy if you put too much chili and sauce.

Summarize: to have a delicious bowl of pho, we must have lots of steps, from broth,
noodle to meat and herbs. Each step plays an important role to make the pho more
delicious ad attractive. If we lack any ingredient, it is very difficult to enjoy the full
flavor of this dish. In addition, depending on the characteristic of each region and
the eating preference of each person we can add some spices to suit with them.
CULTURAL VALUE OF PHO
Pho reflects the essence of Vietnam – an agricultural country
The main ingredient of pho is the soft noodle which is made from the rice. Vietnam is an
agricultural country for a thousand years; therefore, rice plays a vital part in the normal life of
people as well as the development of the country.
In addition, pho is a typical cuisine due to its purity and its harmonious harmony combination
of many traditional ingredients which is characteristic of Vietnamese cuisine. Pho is also
served with many special herbs which can be hardly found anywhere but Vietnam.
Vietnamese people eat pho all day long
Thanks to its delicious taste, nutrition, and reasonable prices, Pho is a favorite of Vietnamese
people all day long. Vietnamese people eat pho as breakfast, enjoy pho at noon, choose pho
as a snack after the hard working day.
Pho is considered the culinary rhythms
In the past, in some small cities and little towns town, you also can find some people carry
on their shoulders “a small restaurant” full of things to serve pho. Now, people often use
vendor trolley. To notify people of their appearance, those food vendors often make the street
cries and make the sound “Clang, Clang”. Such normal sounds have imprinted in the mind of
many people..
Pho helps people feel better when they’re sick
As mentioned above, Pho is a harmonious harmony combination of many traditional and
healthy ingredients. Especially, pho is served with many herbs which are proved to help
people feel better such as ginger, mint, and spring onion.

Pho is the essence of Vietnamese traditional cuisine. It not only contributes to the abundance
of Vietnamese cuisine but helps many of Vietnam people to make money. Besides, Pho is
also a pride of the Vietnamese people.

THE POPULARITY OF PHO

- Represent the essence of VietNamese cusine
Vietnamese noodle soup, is a highlight of Vietnamese culinary. Pho is also considered as
one of the most popular street food in almost all big cities of Vietnam such as Hanoi, Halong,
Nam Dinh, and Ho Chi Minh City. Up to now, there has been no dish that can represent the
essence of Vietnamese cuisine like pho.
- Pho, Vietnam – Top 40 must-try food of the world
Despite looking simple outside, Pho has the fascinating complexity of textures and
flavors. Normally, pho Vietnam is made of rice soft noodles called “banh pho”, some slices
of meat, traditional herbs and is served with consommé which is made by the simmering bone
of the chicken, pork or beef. Vietnamese people love eating pho for breakfast, lunch, and
dinner. Thanks to its nutrition, reasonable price as well as wonderful taste, Pho Vietnam now
appears in many corners all over the world.
Especially in 2014, pho Vietnam was recognized as one of the best must-try 40 dishes
on the planet by the famous magazine Business Insider.
In addition, 12 years earlier Pho Vietnam was named as the “next Asian dish of the day” by
the Los Angeles Times.
- Recognized as a proper noun in the Oxford dictionary.
With its own unique characteristics, Vietnamese pho, ao dai and banh mi have been included
in the Oxford dictionary, recognized as a proper noun. That also means a lot of foreigners
will have to speak Vietnamese when calling "pho" or "banh mi” “ao dai”.