Search engines in 20 countries, including Vietnam, the UK, the US, Canada, Israel and Austria on December 12 feature a Google Doodle of "Pho" – Vietnamese traditional noodle soup.
Google Doodle honours Vietnam’s "Pho" (Photo: Google Doodle)
Hanoi (VNA) – Search engines in 20countries, including Vietnam, the UK, the US, Canada, Israel and Austria on December 12 featurea Google Doodle of "Pho" – Vietnamese traditional noodle soup.
Google said “today’s Doodle, illustrated by Hanoi,Vietnam-based guest artist Lucia Pham, honors pho, Vietnam’s national dish thatis served as an aromatic soup brimming with savory broth, soft rice noodles,fresh herbs, and thinly sliced meat.”
On this day in 2018, December 12 was selected as theofficial day to celebrate Vietnamese "Pho", in honor of the beloved culinarytreasure and the cultural fusion it represents.
What makes "Pho" distinct is a mindful cooking processto achieve multi-layered flavors and a clear broth. From ingredients likeroasted ginger, fennel seed, star anise, and cinnamon for the simmered stock,the broth serves as the foundation for aromas and tastes for every palate.
While its exact origins are unknown, most historiansthink "Pho" was born in Vietnam’s northern Nam Dinh province between the late19th and early 20th centuries. Some believe that “Pho" comes from the word "Phan", a rice noodle dish. People started to use beef consommé to make an earlypredecessor to "Pho" - a simple but very popular noodle soup called "xao trau" whichconsisted of buffalo meat cooked in broth and rice vermicelli.
Traditionally, "Pho" is a breakfast dish sold in streetfood stalls but pho consumption has moved into everyday comfort food. Today,pho is eaten worldwide in countless variations such as pho tron (dry pho), phoga (chicken pho), pho cuon (pho rolls) and many more. Everyone can agree thatthe noodle dish is a treasured element of Vietnamese heritage. Although currentevents have slowed the food markets, people are hopeful for their return wherepho can be enjoyed as a shared, culinary moment in daily life again, accordingto Google.
In 2020, Google Doodle also honoured Vietnam’s banhmi as "the savory and satisfying Vietnamese street-food sandwich”./.
While Vietnamese beef noodle (pho bo) may be the version that most people know and like, chicken noodle is also excellent. For the fragrance of its broth and meat, chicken noodle remains top choice of housewives.
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Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Google Doodle honours Vietnam’s "Pho" (Photo: Google Doodle) 
