Pho

Pho (phở) is a Vietnamese soup of rice noodles in a clear beef or chicken broth. Thin slices of meat go into the bowl, and lime and fresh herbs are added on top. It is eaten mostly for breakfast, and in 2024 pho in the Hanoi and Nam Dinh styles was added to Vietnam's national list of intangible cultural heritage.

The broth is the heart of the dish. According to Vietnam's national tourism authority, it is simmered for hours with dried spices: cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom and coriander. Thinly sliced beef or chicken goes into the finished bowl, and at the table people add lime wedges and herbs such as cilantro, basil and mint.

Where pho comes from is still argued over. Some link it to the French pot-au-feu, others to a Chinese beef noodle soup, others to a Vietnamese dish of noodles with buffalo meat. Historians believe it became popular in Hanoi and Nam Dinh during the French colonial period. It began as street food, sold by vendors who carried pots of broth and noodles on mobile stoves, while vendors and home cooks kept adapting it to affordable ingredients.

The main centres are Hanoi and Nam Dinh province. Vietnam's news agency reports nearly 700 pho restaurants in 30 districts of Hanoi and about 300 in Nam Dinh. The villages of Van Cu, Giao Cu and Tay Lac in Nam Truc district are regarded as the homeland of Nam Dinh-style pho. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism made the heritage decision on 13 August 2024.

Why it matters to you. Pho is not one fixed recipe but a family of bowls, from the clear Hanoi kind to other versions with different herbs. When looking for the real thing, judge the broth: it should be clear and smell of cinnamon and anise, and the lime and herbs are added at the table.