Together with rice, soup is a basic item in a Vietnamese
meal. Sometimes the meal is only a soup - but a soup with the addition
of a number of substantial ingredients. Like the Burmese with their
national soup dish, moh hin gha, the Vietnamese will stop at any time of
day or night to partake of a bowl of pho (pronounced 'far'), a delicate
beef soup that Westerners will truly enjoy. The long simmering gives a
strong, nourishing stock and is served together with cooked noodles and
raw vegetables, and your choice of raw or slightly cooked slices of
beef. Thousands of Vietnamese enjoy it every day. There are sellers of
pho on streets and in small food shops, but particularly in the market
place. |