Pho

Typical beef phở

A chicken-based phở (phở gà) with basil leaves, hoisin sauce, and Sriracha hot sauce, before mixing.

Phở (, written as pho and pronounced "fuh" /fə/ or /fʌ/ by English-speakers, in IPA: [fɤ̌]) is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup dish.

Ingredients and preparation

Phở is served as a bowl of white rice noodles in clear beef broth, with thin cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). Variations featuring tendon, tripe, meatballs, chicken leg, chicken breast, or other chicken organs (heart, liver, etc.) are also available.

Broth

The broth is generally made by simmering beef (and sometimes chicken) bones, oxtails, flank steak, charred onion, and spices, taking several hours to prepare. Seasonings include Saigon cinnamon, star anise, charred ginger, cloves, and sometimes black cardamom.[1]

Noodles

The noodles, called bánh phở in Vietnamese, are traditionally cut from wide sheets of fresh rice noodles similar to Chinese Shahe fen, although dried noodles (also called "rice sticks") may also be used.

Garnishes

The dish is garnished with ingredients such as green onions, white onions, coriander leaves, ngo gai ("saw leaf herb"), mint, Thai basil, lemon or lime, bean sprouts, and chile peppers. The last four items are usually provided on a separate plate, which allows customers to adjust the soup's flavor as they like. Some sauces such as hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and the Thai hot sauce Sriracha, are popular additions as well.

Pronunciation

The Vietnamese word "phở" is properly pronounced with a falling-rising tone, as if asking a question. Its final vowel is not a long "o," but instead rhymes, at least to Anglophone ears (in English) with the "u" in the English word "but". A more accurate way to produce this sound is to make an English /o/ sound but not round the lips. The "ph" is pronounced as an "f." The resulting pronunciation sounds like 'fuh?'.

Possible origin and regional differences

Phở originated in northern Vietnam and spread to southern and central Vietnam in the mid-1950s, after the defeat of the French and the eventual partitioning of the country. The communist government of North Vietnam forcibly closed many private phở businesses in the 1950s, opening government-run eateries in their place, which tended to offer phở of rather inferior quality. Northern Vietnamese fleeing communist rule for South Vietnam introduced phở to their southern counterparts. Unlike in Hanoi in North Vietnam, the phở business flourished in South Vietnam, especially Saigon.

There are conflicting beliefs as to how phở came to be. Some believe it originated from French methods used in bouillon or consommé cooking. Oxen were valued work animals and were rarely eaten, but the arrival of the French had probably prompted servants to prepare a dish that suited the French palate. It is even said that phở came from the French beef stew dish pot-au-feu, with phở being a Vietnamization of the word feu. The broth for pot-au-feu, as it is for phở, is prepared with a bouquet garni containing spices such as cloves and black pepper.

Others believe that phở possible origins more likely lie in China. China had ruled over Vietnam for over a millennium and greatly influenced Vietnamese culture, including cuisine. Cooking methods used in phở, such as the use of spices also seen in Chinese cooking (see five-spice powder and red cooking), as well as the use of rice noodles, are all Chinese influences.

With the arrival of anti-communist Vietnamese exiles and refugees (that is, hailing from South Vietnam) in the post-Vietnam War period, phở was also gradually introduced to Western countries, especially to France and the United States, both of whom were major actors in Vietnam's colonial and post-colonial history. There are also many phở restaurants in Australia and Canada, as these countries also received many Vietnamese refugees and immigrants. Non-refugee Vietnamese immigrants also brought phở noodles to the former Soviet bloc countries, including Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

There are several regional variants of phở in Vietnam, particularly divided between northern (Hanoi, called phở bắc or northern phở; or phở Hà Nội), central (Huế), and southern (Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City). One regional phở may be sweeter, and another variation may emphasize a bolder and spicier flavor. "Northern phở" tends to use somewhat wider noodles and green onions. On the other hand, southern Vietnamese generally use thinner noodles (approximately the width of pad Thai or linguine noodles), and add bean sprouts and a greater variety of fresh herbs to their phở instead.

Naming conventions for restaurants

A popular naming convention for phở restaurants in some localaties seems to be placing a number in the name (e.g. Phở 54 -- although, in the case of the chain Phở 54, the number 54 may allude to a year having significance for the spread of phở to South Vietnam). There are four differing stories as to how this practice came about:

• The restaurant was opened in the year indicated in the name
• The owner of the restaurant was a restaurateur in Vietnam before immigrating, and their restaurant was located on that street number
• Much in the same way that one would see multiple burger restaurants with a number after them (e.g., John's #2), the number is simply present to prevent duplication in naming.
• According to the owner of a Phở restaurant in Maryland, the number is one that is considered to be "lucky" by the owner.

Additionally, some restaurant names are a form of word play on the homophony between phở and fuck, as in "What the Phở?" and "Phở King".

Cultural practices

Phở can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Vietnamese phở restaurants usually retain the cultural practice of not delivering the bill to a customer's tables, since it is considered rude—in Vietnamese culture, it is seen as a way of trying to rush the customer out the door.

Most tables usually have a numbering system and have chopsticks, spoons and condiment dispensers. It is customary to take a napkin and wipe off the chopsticks and spoon that are about to be used. There are also hot sauce and hoisin sauce available for those that like to dip their meat in them. If the establishment is not trusted for cleanliness, then the napkins should be first dipped in hot tea.

Styles of phở

Some Vietnamese restaurants have begun catering to non-Vietnamese customers by opening in other areas. Adapting to local tastes and diets, some Vietnamese restaurants in the United States have also started making chicken-based phở (phở gà) or even vegetarian phở (phở rau) (recipe available at http://www.elliemay.com/soups/VegetarianPho.html), in addition to the traditional beef noodle soup. Seafood-based phở has also been known to exist, although it is not considered true phở. Another variation of phở involves using egg noodles instead of rice noodles. There are also Korean, Thai, and Lao variants of phở available.

Phở tái lăn (phở with medium-cooked beef)

Another style of phở which is rare even among Vietnamese is phở tái lăn, served with beef only; the herbs added may vary. Thin slices of beef are char-fried in a wok; the chef puts some oil into the wok and tilts it so that the oil will catch fire and the beef will be fried inside-out (normally when stir-fried, the meat does not have direct contact with fire but with the wok instead). In some aspects, this style of phở is better even for Vietnamese and more suitable for the taste of foreigners who are not accustomed to eating medium-rare beef (raw beef slices are lightly cooked in the hot broth in each individual's bowl).

See also

• Beef noodle soup
• Bánh mì
• Vietnamese cuisine
• Rice noodles
• Shahe fen
• Kuyteav

External links

• Phở recipe
• Phở recipe
• Phở recipe
• Phở recipe
• national Phở restaurant directory
• Phở restaurant reviews & articles
• WHAT THE PHO restaurant review by Plate Of The Day Food Blog
• pronunciation (mp3)
• Lam, Andrew. "Pho," All Things Considered, National Public Radio, September 2, 1999 Surprising locations to find pho
• Norris, Michele. "From Pho to Fast Food, an Immigrant's Tale," All Things Considered, National Public Radio, February 6, 2007 Biography of Bich Minh Nguyen
• Prakash, Snigdha. "Pho Sells," Morning Edition, National Public Radio, June 3, 2002. Campbell soup markets pho
• Sullivan, Michael. "Vietnamese Pho Chain Takes on U.S. Competition," Morning Edition, National Public Radio, March 20, 2007. Introduction of chain restaurant in the USA