Nothing chronicles the history of 20th century Việtnam more eloquently than the promulgation of phở. Born in poverty under colonialist influences, phở merged the sensibility of Chinese fěn (rice noodles) with the culinary consolation of French pot-au-feu. After the 1954 partition of Việtnam, phở traveled south from Hanoi to Saigon in the stock pots of anti-communist refugees. When Saigon fell to Communist forces in 1975, millions of desperate Việtnamese flocked to neighboring harbors and far-flung shores; over time, phở gamely made its way to receptive palates in dozens of nations worldwide.
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T H E G A S T R I C T I O N A R Y :
Pot-au-Feu [potofø] (Literally, “pot on the fire”): A classic French beef stew whose ingredients typically include (i) low-cost cuts of beef (marrowbone, oxtail/short-ribs, shanks), (ii) vegetables (leeks, onions, carrots, potatoes, rutabaga, celery), and (iii) spices (bouquet garni, cloves, peppercorns).
