Why is Pho eaten in Vietnam?

Aug 9, 2023

By Ms. Minh Thu

Overview

Nowadays, Pho is not a strange dish at all to many people in the world. Many people still pose questions like why do Vietnamese love pho? what is the purpose of pho? and why is Pho eaten in Vietnam?So in today's blog, the best Vietnam tour operatorwill tackle these questions in an easy and simple way. So scroll down and explore this mouth-watering Vietnamese dish!

What is Pho?

Pho is a traditional and popular soup dish of Vietnam and the symbol of Vietnamese cuisine at the same time. Pho includes Vietnamese rice noodles (banh pho), broth simmered from bones with many natural spices, meat (usually beef or chicken), herbs and many other side dishes. Pho, which has a mild sweetness of broth, combined with a unique fragrance of herbs, easily enchants any person. Vietnamese people often eat Pho as breakfast or they simply want to change to a new dish when they get bored of rice. Pho appears in every corner of the S-shaped country, from the countryside to the urban areas. Nowadays, Pho has its image dotted on many parts of the world, becoming a favorite dish of many people not having Vietnamese nationality though. Vietnamese noodle soup came in at number 34 on a list of the top 100 dishes in the world compiled by the worldwide food publication TasteAtlas.

Pho - the symbol of Vietnamese cuisine

What is the history of pho in Vietnam?

Pho was supposed to take root from Nam Dinh Province and Hanoi at the beginning of 20th Century. In Van Cu Village, Nam Truc District, Nam Dinh province, there is a Co family line famous for making Pho. They created this delicious dish and brought it everywhere to make a living. Many documents also mentioned the origin of Pho which is at O Quan Chuong, Hanoi during French colonization in the early 20th century. Here, many fresh cow or pig bones were not in use, so the locals brought them home and simmered for many hours, so that those bones can secrete sweet substances. Hence, Pho formerly was an affordable dish among common Vietnamese people, often sold in small vendors or stools, gradually taking the hearts of all Vietnamese people.

Development

Pho was initially unpopular in the Southern part of vietnam. After 1954, Pho suddenly became popular here. But if Northern people preferred Pho Tai, whose beef was thinly sliced and poured boiled water on over, Southern people would rather enjoy Pho with fully cooked beef. Pho, by this way, became a common culinary here. After that, many variations of Pho also appeared. People could eat Pho with many side dishes and herbs such as mung bean sprouts, lime, culantro, cinnamon basil, Hoisin sauce, etc. Vietnamese people also had a habit of dipping bread (quay) in Pho and other kinds of Vietnamese noodle soups. A strange version of Pho also appeared during the Vietnam war which is pilotless Pho or Pho Khong Nguoi Lai, which is pho without meat.

Nowadays Pho

Globalization

After the Vietnam War ended, Many Vietnamese people migrated to other parts of the world to live, especially My. They also brought their homeland's cuisine along with them, including Pho. Many Vietnamese communities in foreign countries maintained the habit of eating Pho as breakfast, so they still keep cooking Pho for family and trade. Gradually, more and more Vietnamese food restaurants sprang up all over the world. The bottom line is that many local people where Vietnamese people moved to, positively responded to Vietnamese food, especially Pho. Nowadays, Vietnamese food is becoming famous, rivaling other cuisines such as Japanese, Thai, French,...cuisine all over the world. 2007 saw the addition of "pho" to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Pho is ranked number 28 in CNN Go's list of the "World's 50 Most Delicious Foods" from 2011. The Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico marked Pho Day on April 3, 2016. The following day, Pho Day was also observed in Osaka Prefecture.

Pho is loved by the world

Ingredients

Banh Pho (Noodles)

Banh Pho is the ingredient that gives this dish its name. Also made from rice, but Banh Pho is soft, not chewy like vermicelli. Pho is not round like vermicelli, but square, because it is cut from the original piece of Banh Pho. When made to cook pho, the noodle is cut to the right length for easy enjoyment. Pho is said to be delicious with pearl white color, medium-sized fibers. When eaten, it is not too chewy but also not too smashed.

Pearl white banh pho

Broth

The broth is said to be the soul of the dish. The broth of pho is simmered from beef bones with a little meat, if it's beef pho, chicken bones if it's chicken noodle soup. Besides, people will add many other typical spices such as cinnamon, star anise, roasted ginger, roasted onion, black cardamom, coriander seed, fennel seed, and clove. These spices will be wrapped in a bag for easy removal later.

The broth of pho is simmered from beef bones

Garnishes

The culture of eating Pho

First, put the rice noodles in boiling water, drain and then put them in a bowl to eat. Then, use chopsticks to stir the pho noodles so that they don't mix together. Next, put minced beef in slices or depending on the preferences of the eater, put it in a rare, encrusted, veal, bucket.... how to be very clever so that each customer's pho leech comes with it. Along with the brown of the beef, the yellow of the bucket, and the white of the noodle soup, scallions, onions, and cilantro all help to make the bowl of pho seem more enticing and taste better. The process of pouring the pho broth into the new bowl takes a lot of effort because the water is delicious, but it must be evenly spread over the bowl of pho, around the meat when the meat is still cooked evenly while keeping the green color of the green onions, onions and cilantro on the bowl of pho.

Pho is a traditional dish in Vietnam’s Cuisine

Vietnam is a country with a history of growing wet rice for thousands of years. Therefore, there are many dishes made from rice, pho is one of them. Vietnamese people have had a habit of eating Pho since the 20th century. This is a traditional dish of many families in Hanoi and Nam Dinh province. Many families even have their own secret to cooking pho (how to cook broth, how to make pho). Many houses open Pho stores and restaurants and trade favorably because they are loved by many customers. Pho is a very easy dish to eat. In addition to breakfast, many people will eat pho on important occasions, or sometimes want to eat something instead of rice.

Pho is a traditional dish in Vietnam’s Cuisine

Pho is a delicious dish

Undoubtedly, pho is a wonderfully delicious dish. The deliciousness of Pho comes from the noodles that are pearl-white and tender without being crushed. The broth is clear and light sweet. The meat is tender but not chewy, being served with herbs and spices for extra flavor. Like many other traditional Vietnamese dishes, Pho is a dish that reaches the harmony of taste. The taste of pho is always moderate, not boring and not bland. That is why Pho is not only loved by Vietnamese people but also the whole world.

Pho is a healthy dish

Pho is a combination of flavors. There are 18 to 20 items of organic plant and animal origin in a bowl of pho. The most special thing about pho is that the ingredients are used almost in their original state and work together in harmony to create a unique, delicious, and easy-to-digest unique flavor. Is Pho healthy? Yes, Pho is a healthy and nutritious dish. Broth is an important part of pho. Calcium from bones and marrow; The slime from the tendons and cartilage dissolves are very good active ingredients for treating joint diseases in old age and helping to develop the body at a young age. Cardamom, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick, pepper, ginger, onion, fish sauce, salt, and other flavors from dry ingredients dissolve in the broth to add taste. These ingredients are also a source of minerals and vitamins to help improve blood quality and contribute to the protection of blood vessel walls.

Pho is a healthy dish

Pho is a fast and convenient breakfast

Many people eat pho for breakfast because it is delicious and convenient. You just need to stop by a roadside noodle shop, pay 30-40 thousand to have a bowl of pho full of toppings and essential nutritional values for a working day. Even though Vietnamese people do not eat Pho everyday, this is the favorite breakfast of many people every morning. Many people prefer to eat pho in the morning rather than other foods such as rice and bread. Because the human mouth early in the morning is dry and probably has not gotten familiar with eating yet. Pho, with delicious broth, is the most reasonable choice. Rice and bread will have to be served with soup or buy more drinks.

Pho is a fast and convenient breakfast

Pho is the pride of Vietnamese people

Pho's reputation in the international arena is indisputable. Now, whenever Vietnamese cuisine is mentioned, the world will immediately think of pho. In other words, pho has automatically become a symbol of Vietnamese cuisine. In foreign countries, many people also go to Vietnamese restaurants to try Pho. And most, everyone falls in love with pho at first sight. So being loved by the world, Pho was added as a separate word in the Oxford English Dictionary in 2007 and listed as the World’s most delicious foods by CNN Go in 2011. Hence, Pho is the pride of Vietnamese people, bringing not only Vietnam’s cuisine but also the image of the country and Vietnamese people to the world. This also contributes to the reasons why Vietnamese people love Pho.

Pho is the pride of Vietnamese people

Conclusion

Now you understand why Pho is eaten in Vietnam, or why did pho become so popular?don’t you? In short, Pho is loved in Vietnam because it is a traditional dish which is delicious, healthy and convenient to eat, and brings about a good reputation for Vietnam. Undoubtedly, Pho is the national dish of vietnam. If you have a chance to conduct a Vietnam tour, you must definitely try Pho in its very motherland. Thanks a lot for reading!

Why is Pho eaten in Vietnam? | Vietnam Escape Tours (2024)