How pho came to become so popular has to do with many reasons but speaking from a contemporary standpoint, what we know today to be pho has ties to French colonialism in Vietnam and the country’s civil war. There is little known about where pho came from and its origination. That said, pho is generally believed to come from northern Vietnam. In 1954, the Vietnamese region separated into north and south, and a lot of northerners went south. Those families brought with them various recipes for pho.
As the world began to expand in the 1970s and beyond, Vietnamese families would move all throughout the world including to Canada and the US. In addition to bringing their own recipes, some families ended up opening up restaurants which began to spread word about what pho was. Come the 1990s, Vietnamese immigrant populations in North America and Europe really hung onto the idea of pho as their go-to cuisine. In the same time period, a movement began where the population in the West began to move towards more balanced, healthier, and environmentally sustainable eating. Combined with growing interest in ethnic cuisine, this only strengthened the momentum behind the presence of Vietnamese cuisine and pho.
Today, we don’t want to say pho has been Americanized however it has undergone some adaptations in appealing to contemporary consumer interest. Pho is still served in authentic, traditional ways but there are also some varieties which are vegetarian and vegan which was never the case before. There is also some pho where the balance of ingredients has been challenged, with new elements being thrown in. Through all these changes, pho has been adapted to appeal to people of almost every cultural background.
The primary characteristic of pho is always going to be the broth. To create the broth, elements can be used ranging from beef bones to onion, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and other ingredients. The quality of the broth really dictates the quality of the pho. Many Vietnamese restaurants and kitchens in North America cook pho in high volumes, going through as many as 70 or 80 litres of pho per day. After you have a taste for pho, we can almost guarantee you’ll be coming back for more.
Visit Toronto Pho for the best pho in the GTA. Browse numerous variations and other famous Vietnamese cuisine dishes. We always have a pot of pho going so that it can be quickly assembled. Whether you’re a purist seeking traditional pho, a vegan seeking something meat-free, or you’re looking to mix things up, visit Toronto Pho.
