Tell me what you eat, I will tell you who you are”

Currently in Saigon at around 6.am, I would like to share with everyone about a "divine" dish in Vietnam that you are always introduced to once you set foot in Vietnam, which is pho. With the development of Vietnamese society, pho is known in many parts of the world, especially there are many pho restaurants in the US, France, Australia, Canada and some other countries. Since then, pho has had different processing methods and flavors. In Vietnam, pho has many names to distinguish it such as Pho Bac in the North, Pho in the South and Pho Hue... Initially, there was only cooked beef pho with full flavor and later, pho was processed into many varieties. Different dishes like beef pho, chicken pho, goose pho. Northerners often cook pho in the North which has a salty taste while in the South it is sweeter and has more vegetables. Usually pho in the South is smaller than in the North. But in general, the main ingredients of Pho will include noodles and broth along with thinly sliced beef of all kinds. In addition, when eating pho, you can also eat it with spices such as soy sauce, pepper, lemon, fish sauce, chili... These spices are added depending on the taste of each user when enjoying.

Pho is a delicious, nutritious food with great flavor from unique ingredients and spices. However, according to the opinion of some domestic and foreign culinary experts, this dish can be considered "relatively new" in traditional Vietnamese cuisine, it appeared in records at the beginning of the year. 20th century, but the history of this dish is no less complex and delicate than its taste. Some authors say: "I have been eating pho all my life, and the history of pho is very rich", and "You may think you know a lot about pho, but in reality you don't, because pho has gone through a lot." a change that few people know about". Most historians agree that pho began appearing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Northern Vietnam, but its origin remains a mystery. Some people believe that pho is a variation of the French beef and vegetable stew-au-feu, which most Vietnamese pronounce as “fuh,” like the French word “feu,” which means “fire.”, has phonetic similarities with "pho". When the French entered Vietnam in the 1880s, they brought with them a stew made from vegetables and beef, which can be considered the forerunner of today's rich pho broth and the Vietnamese were introduced to beef, this dish. simmered soup and even the name "pot-au-feu" to create pho. Others believe that pho emerged from Chinese communities settled in Northern Vietnam and that they sold a dish called "beef noodles", whose Chinese pronunciation is similar to the pronunciation of "pho" in Vietnamese. Vietnamese and also other authors believe that the origin of pho may be a combination of both. "Rice noodles and other spices used to make the broth certainly have connections with the Chinese in the North. Whatever the origin of pho, this dish has been loved throughout Vietnam." and is considered an iconic dish. This also makes pho both a source of pride and a source of confusion for many people, because each locality has a different way of cooking pho with different ingredients.

That's understood! And now I'm sitting at a pho restaurant on Ly Thai To Street, District 10 - Saigon. This morning, it's raining lightly in Saigon. The morning sunlight suddenly rises as if to warm it and bring with it the warmth of the earth. In the south, the shop opens from 6 am to 10 pm, but finding a place to sit is a bit difficult! Fortunately, I was able to arrange a small chair next to the seemingly pretty girl to wait for my bowl of pho. Observing that the restaurant is quite neat, the cooking area handles everything in a very separate and methodical way and includes food hygiene and safety procedures.

I smelled the aroma of pho and the sweet smell of the pot of bone broth. About 15 minutes later, I had a steaming bowl of pho filled with sweet aroma! The South is where the presentation of a bowl of pho with bean sprouts, coriander, basil and lime originated. Diners also started adding black soy sauce directly to pho. The bowl of pho becomes even more filling with sliced beef, rice noodles and broth. In addition, the noodles used to make dishes the Southern way are also smaller. Southern-style pho still has a very rich bone broth mixed with soft noodles and thinly sliced beef. Pho Nam has a sweet taste combined with the crunchy feeling of beef tendon balls. Southerners often eat this dish with beef balls. Arrange the onions, bean sprouts, and rice noodles in the bottom of the bowl, put the meat pieces in the bowl, add beef balls, chopped cilantro, sliced onions, and ground pepper, pour plenty of hot, rich broth into the bowl. As a side dish, squeeze lemon and add chili sauce or chili to eat with this dish to increase the deliciousness. Saigon people eat pho with herbs, bean sprouts or raw bean sprouts and herbs must include basil, cilantro, basil, braised cilantro, some restaurants add water celery... seeing me seem confused before the bowl. Pho has all kinds of accompanying dishes (white from bean sprouts, black from soy sauce, yellow from lemon, red and green from chili...), the "pretty looking girl" sitting next to her looked over and asked softly, maybe this is your first time eating this dish? I nodded in agreement and said yes. The girl also softly said, if you have a chance to come back to my hometown, my hometown in Nam Dinh, to eat this pho dish, maybe you will be less confused... according to her story, Nam Dinh province, her hometown is located in the south of the Red River Delta, Northern Vietnam. It is a rich and fertile area, with a vast horizon embracing rice fields, banana rows and green bamboo. This agricultural region, mostly farmers, is also where many of the most famous pho makers in Vietnam come from. Many of them are related to the Co family in Van Cu village, south of Nam Dinh city, and contribute significantly to the Nam Dinh "pho Co" brand. Her hometown is always peaceful, surrounded by green rice fields, contrasted with red tiled roofs. Right at the entrance to the village is a pho restaurant that has been around for many generations, and every day the fire is still burning to cook delicious bowls of pho. According to ancient legend, during leisure time, people went around towns and cities to work as street vendors. They made and sold banh da crab, a dish made from river crab served with a type of white rice noodle cake, similar to pho. They also eat a special traditional soup dish in the region called "xào", made from slices of buffalo meat cooked in simple bone broth with rice vermicelli, green onions and herbs (according to Ms. Pho, her hometown is now Thus, it is the interference of dishes). Up to now, I still have not had the opportunity to go back to her hometown to enjoy pho like she told me about

The truth is, Pho is a popular and favorite dish of Vietnamese people. Each of us has familiar places to enjoy pho in our own way. As long as the spices or a few ingredients in the bowl of pho are reduced, the flavor of the pho will also change. Pho is also very popular with international tourists. Pho is like that! a "divine" dish.,.