Pho Nam Dinh traditional values

Nam Dinh culinary culture is noted for its many delicious and unique dishes. Among them, Pho has long been considered the quintessential culinary specialty of Nam Dinh, fully converging the quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine. Pho is not only a delicious dish but has created cultural values, not only loved by locals but also conquered international diners and chefs in countries with famous cuisines.

Vietnamese beef pho was honored by the American news agency CNN as one of the 20 dishes with the best broth in the world in 2024, "surpassing" soups from famous culinary backgrounds such as France, Russia... Vietnamese pho has been honored on Google, appearing in more than 20 large and small countries... On many personal pages of foreigners, there are articles praising Vietnamese pho. When talking about Vietnamese pho, it is impossible not to mention Nam Dinh pho, which is considered the homeland of pho. The culinary quintessence of Nam Dinh pho is not only reflected in the ingredients, food, and methods of making typical pho noodles, but also the overall process including many processing stages to complete the creation of a delicious pho dish, delicious to the eyes, ensuring nutritional quality, flavor and eye-catching appearance, attracting diners. The secret to making Nam Dinh pho is the long-term experience, through many generations, condensed into a unique recipe by artisans and chefs in the pho culinary industry in some localities in the province; Among them, Van Cu, Giao Cu, Dong Son commune (Nam Truc) are famous - where there are seniors who make and cook pho with 3-4 generations passing on the profession. For that reason, recently, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has prepared a dossier to submit to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to register "Pho making" on the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage; and move towards submitting to UNESCO to honor "Pho making" as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Pho Nam Dinh traditional values — International visitors experience pho promotion at the Pho Day event (December 12) held in Nam Dinh.

The beauty of pho is its unity in diversity. With the same basic ingredients and recipes (broth, rice noodles, beef, chicken, pork), each family and each person making the dish has their own secret to making their pho unique and attractive; it can be said that it is not too much of a creative "ecosystem" of pho. In each countryside, pho has variations that suit the culinary habits, regional culture, and integrate with the local culinary culture. And unlike many other delicacies, if the cook is inexperienced, the dish will not be usable. But with pho, it is different, even in newly opened pho restaurants, the experience or skills of the cook are not really skillful, the dish is still easily accepted by diners. As the homeland of pho, with the traditional flavor of the Northern Delta, Nam Dinh pho is very diverse, but the most famous is still beef pho. Nowadays, many Giao Cu people in particular, and Nam Dinh people in general, "keep in their pockets" the capital of pho to start a business far from home, and all are successful. The brand "Nam Dinh beef pho" is now seen in many provinces and cities across the country. Many culinary artists have brought pho to islands and foreign countries, soothing nostalgia for their homeland. In 2021, along with vermicelli noodles, Nam Dinh beef pho was included in the list of Top 100 Vietnamese specialties by the Vietnam Record Association. The event "Pho Day" (December 12, 2022) was held on a large scale in Nam Dinh - the "cradle" of the pho profession, creating special impressions.

Following the success of the "Pho Day" event series in 2022, aiming to more strongly spread the value of Vietnamese pho on the world culinary map, from March 15 to 17, 2024, in Nam Dinh city and Giao Cu hometown (Nam Truc), the 2024 Pho Festival will officially take place with the theme "Vietnamese Pho Road", gathering 50 booths of businesses and brands participating in performances and image promotion. In particular, the program also has activities of visiting, experiencing the stages of making pho, enjoying pho for ambassadors, guests, people, domestic and international tourists... There will be many special activities within the framework of the Pho Festival such as: experiencing pho with the stages, writing and photography contest about pho; pho promotion; activities to set a record for a giant pot of pho; discussion on the development of the pho profession from the past to the present and the future; promote Nam Dinh tourism; display cultural spaces related to pho and regional culinary specialties...

Pho Festival 2024 is a major culinary cultural event held in the hometown of pho - Nam Dinh, with the meaning of honoring the traditional pho profession, tourists and people have the opportunity to learn, experience, and enjoy the taste of pho associated with regional cultures everywhere in the country. Coming to Nam Dinh city, in addition to the Pho Festival area in the Nam Cuong Hotel Square, visitors can also experience some long-standing delicious pho restaurants such as: Pho Xuyen in Van Nhan alley; Pho Cu Tang at the beginning of Hang Tien street; Pho Tao on Dien Bien street; Pho Dan - Bac Ninh street; Pho Ba Thu - Hai Ba Trung street...

Pho Festival 2024 is an opportunity for Nam Dinh province to introduce to domestic and international friends and tourists the unique culinary culture of pho; contributing to promoting the heritage and tourism image of the locality through investment and trade promotion activities, introducing products of production and business enterprises in the field of food.

(Nam Dinh Newspaper)

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