WHAT THE PHO!?!?

WHAT IS A BOWL OF PHO AND WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

Pho is a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles "banh pho", a few herbs, and either made with beef (pho bo), chicken (pho ga), or vegetables (pho chay). Pho origins are poorly documented so this had lead to many disagreements on were pho actually originated from. Some say that pho was created in Northern Vietnam while others might say pho was made in the South of Vietnam. However, there is a slight difference in pho between the South and the North. Hanoi (North) and Saigon (South) styles of pho differ by noodle width, sweetness of broth, choice of herbs and even the choice of meat.

Noodles: The most noticeable differences between the two is southern style pho uses a slimmer rice noodle and northern style pho uses a noodle that’s slightly wider.

Broth: Southern style pho has a sweeter and richer broth, while the broth of northern style pho is more clear and simple.

Toppings: While southern style pho is served with a side plate of things like lime, bean sprouts, basil, and cilantro. Northern style pho isn’t served with a plate of toppings. Instead, you get cilantro and green scallions already place on top of the broth.

Meats: Southern style pho is served with different styles of beef from flank, steak, rare steak, brisket, tripe, meatballs, and even tendons. Meat can still be found in some northern pho but the north tends to highlight chicken more often. Vegan and Vegetarian options could be topped with enoki mushrooms, shiitake, firm tofu and many other plant based products.

Whether you like a bowl of pho from any parts of Vietnam, pho is will always be our national food item. Pho is even listed at number 28 on "World's 50 most delicious foods" compiled by CNN Go in 2011 (link included down below) . It will always be good and delicious, cooked with fresh ingredients and topped with greenly herbs. Pho is here to stay and will continue to travel across the globe. -RichieBeChefin

LINK: https://web.archive.org/web/20111008014820/http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/eat/worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-067535