More than 35,000 replied to a CNN poll asked its readers “What are the world’s best foods?”, and Vietnam’s pho and goi cuon were among them.
Number 20 of the list belong to Vietnamese Pho, which is basically a bowl of soft rice noodles in a hot broth made by carefully boiling cow’s bones with different herbs. The food often served with beef or chicken, shallots, and chili and lemon to taste. “But it’s greater than the sum of its parts – fragrant, tasty and balanced,” CNN said.
Though pho is considered as a national dish and can be found everywhere in Vietnam, there are a little bit different between Northern and Southern flavor. Hanoi’s pho is focus on the balance between ingredients, while it become sweeter and thicker in Saigon.
A bowl of pho in Hanoi also got into list of 50 travel experiences you have to try in Asia published by Business Insider last October.
Soup is considered one of the most nutritious foods in Vietnam and perhaps the best cure for hangover. It is not only locals’ favorite food but also many foreigner. Maybe it’s time to try it for yourself. Just say “fuh” and you will be served.
While pho is more of a main dish and a common breakfast choice, goi cuon, or fresh summer rolls, are a popular snack in the south. It is pork, shrimp, herbs and rice vermicelli wrapped by rice paper, and best served after being dunked in sweet and sour fish sauce or a thick peanut dip.
Although the dish finished at the bottom of the list, it has been named the number one appetizer for a full-course party, and featured on the first episode of Snoop Dog’s cooking show Potluck Dinner Party which first aired last November. A video of him making the rolls went viral on Facebook in just a couple days.
CNN readers called it “meat light” and the very definition of “moreish”.
The top 50 was dominated by Asian dishes, besides Italian lasagna and pizza, Mexican fajitas and tacos, French croissant, Turkish kebab and American ice-cream and cheeseburgers.
If you believe in the list, Southeast Asia looks like the perfect place for the delicious vacation of a lifetime. The most votes went to two Indonesian dishes – rendang, which is a spicy, gingery beef dish, and nasi goreng, a fried rice dish. Seven Thai dishes made the top 50, while Malaysian and Singaporean were not forgotten either.