VERY INTERESTING: PHO

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The Delicious History of Phở

Phở is a delicious dish, but it also tells us a lot about the history of Vietnam, and about how cultures collide. Here are a few facts you can drop the next time you enjoy a bowl.

1. The name phở might have French origins.

Feu is the French word for fire, and pot-au-feu is the name of a rustic beef stew in French cuisine. Some people argue that the similarity of phở and feu shows that the Vietnamese soup was directly inspired by the French.

It’s easy to see why they’d draw that conclusion. France colonized Vietnam from the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, and it had a big impact on Vietnamese cuisine, from the baguettes used for banh mi to the Vietnamese names for ingredients the French introduced to the country. Potatoes, for example, are known as khoai tây in Vietnam, which can be translated as “Western yam.”

2. Or phở could come from Cantonese—it’s kind of complicated.

Not everyone is convinced that phở comes from the French, though. Before phở, a noodle soup known as xao trâu, made with slices of water buffalo meat, was already popular in Vietnam, according to an essay by Dung Quang Trinh. Because so many of the street vendors selling the soup were Chinese, a Vietnamese-Cantonese name for the dish, ngưu nhục phấn, or “beef with rice noodles,” was often used.

Trinh suggests that, over time, that name may have been shortened to phấn a or phốn ơ, and finally settled into one word, phở. One reason why it wouldn’t go by phấn? It might sound a little too much like phân, which means poop. Not a very appealing thing to be yelling out to attract customers.

So while Chinese and French culture might have both helped influence phở, it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where the word came from.

3. Phở is a melting pot, in more ways than one.

Before French colonization, beef wasn't very common in Vietnamese food. It was more common to have cattle work the fields than to slaughter them for dinner. When the French arrived, they brought with them their love of beef, and it became a lot more widely available. Using the bones that were left over from beef production was a simple and economical way to infuse flavor into a dish. The addition of rice noodles and aromatics like onion, ginger, star anise, and cardamom help transform the simple beef broth into a complex and comforting meal.

4. It’s a Northern/Southern thing.

The early phở that originated in Northern Vietnam is called phở bac. It consists of rice noodles, a clear broth made from beef and spices, and some thinly sliced beef on top.

Phở nam, or southern-style phở, didn’t appear until South Vietnam was split from North Vietnam in 1954. Southern Vietnamese cooks are generally a lot more liberal with their garnishes and condiments, which can include Thai basil, cilantro, lime, bean sprouts, chili peppers, fish sauce, and hoisin.

5. Phở ga came around later.

Perhaps the biggest change South Vietnam brought to phở was the introduction of phở ga, or chicken phở. There are still probably people who will tell you that phở bo, or beef phở, is the only authentic version of the dish, but today, regional variations on phở are embraced throughout Vietnam, including duck phở, grilled liver phở, and even red wine phở.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking