(P Ô-Tô-Phơ) - Where The Name Feu/Ph Came From

“ Eating pho has become a ritual in Vietnam“ – famous writer Nguyen Tuan
once said – the ordinary bowl of pho which can be found in every corner of
Hanoi is something crucial in daily life. However, not many people--even
the Vietnamese themselves--actually know the real origin and interesting
history behind this legendary soup that has made it into the world’s 50 best
foods list and is the first thing that comes to mind when people talk about
Vietnam’s cuisine.
Pho first appeared in Vietnam in the early 20th century. In Vietnam’s past,
cows were unpopular as they tended to be smaller and weaker than
buffalos, which were extensively used to cultivate land for farming. Using
beef as a cooking ingredient wasn’t popular either. It wasn’t until the
colonial time that cows were imported to Vietnam because the French
consumed a lot of beef and used dairy products on regular basis.
Pho was another blend of French and Vietnamese cuisine that was born
during this time. Pot-au-Feu (pô-tô-phơ) – where the name Feu/Phở came
from - was a traditional French dish : beef soup with vegetables served
with bread. The French taught Vietnamese cooks how to prepare the soup.
To adapt the soup to their palate, the Vietnamese added their own twist
and claimed the modified soup as their own and Phở was born. In
recognition of the Vietnamese version of their popular soup, French
dictionaries of that time period translated Pho as soupe tonkinoise (
Northern Vietnamese soup).
In the Vietnamese version, potato was replaced by rice noodle. Grilled

onion and anise from France were added together with Vietnamese spices
such as ginger and cinnamon. Beef bone was cheap so street vendors
started to purchase them to make broth and sell the dish to Vietnamese
workers. Beef was sliced very thinly as it was expensive back then, but it
turned out that the thinner the slices, the more flavorful they are when you
pour the soup on them. Top up with a little sliced scallion and voila – you
have a simple yet aromatic and luscious bowl of noodle made from heaven.
Many people believe that pho was born in North Vietnam. After the Geneva
Convention in 1954, pho began its southbound journey and spawned many
regional versions. Nowadays, the three most famous versions of pho are
Pho Nam Dinh ( the birthplace of Pho) , Pho Hue and Pho Sai Gon.
Pho Nam Dinh, which is the closest to the original version, uses a very
special type of noodle that is significantly smaller than the noodles used in
other versions of the soup. It’s served with youtiao (a type of Chinese bread
stick) and only garnished with a little sliced scallion. The soup recipe is still
a secret that people only pass on to others in their family.
Pho Hue on the other hand is more of a feast to the eyes. The soup has to
be very clear; the beef and Vietnamese ham is sliced very thinly; and Hue
Pho is served in a small bowl with very little garnish and no vegetables to
bring out the pureness of the dish.
Pho Sai Gon is another story. In Sai Gon pho is served with plenty of
garnishes: lime, basil, bean sprout… and 2 different types of sauces –
hoisin sauce and hot chilli sauce. It’s actually the most famous version of
the soup, having already travelled to the US, Europe and beyond.
Danang’s version is perhaps a blend of Hue’s and Sai Gon’s with pure
broth and also plenty of garnishes.
So what’s the secret for great tasting broth, the most essential factor for a
good bowl of pho? In old Vietnam, good pho broth was so revered that
there was a saying “Don’t marry a girl who can’t make a good broth; she
won’t make a good wife! “. So in the interest of promoting good matrimony
(I’m just kidding--people nowadays no longer believe in such saying), I
don’t think it would hurt to share a pho chef’s secret that I learned a while
back. In many restaurants, the bones are cooked for a long time and are
never taken out unless to make room for new bones. The cook simply
adds more ingredients and water as needed to gigantic stockpots that are
never turned off. So actually the broth gets better in time, just like fine
wine. Spoilage is not a problem since the broth is always kept at a boil 24
hours a day.
Pretty simple isn’t it? However most people find it’s easier to go out for a
great bowl of pho than to keep a big stockpot always boiling at home. But if
you really really want to make great pho broth, now you know the secret.

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“ Eating pho has become a ritual in Vietnam“ – famous writer Nguyen Tuan

In the Vietnamese version, potato was replaced by rice noodle. Grilled

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