Celebrating Phở

Google Dooles 20.12.2021 22:00  Date: December 12, 2021 Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Hanoi, Vietnam-based guest artist , honors phở, Vietnam’s national dish that is 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 the official day to celebrate Vietnamese phở, in honor of the beloved culinary treasure and the cultural fusion it represents. What makes phở distinct is a mindful cooking process to achieve multi-layered flavors and a clear broth. From ingredients like roasted 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 historians think phở was born in northern Vietnam’s Nam Dinh province between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some believe that “phở" comes from the word phấn, a rice noodle dish. People started to use beef consommé to make an early predecessor to phở—a simple but very popular noodle soup called xao trau which consisted of buffalo meat cooked in broth and rice vermicelli. Traditionally, phở is a breakfast dish sold in street food stalls but phở consumption has moved into everyday comfort food. Today, phở is eaten worldwide in countless variations such as phở trộn , phở gà , phở cuốn and many more. Everyone can agree that the noodle dish is a treasured element of Vietnamese heritage. Although current events have slowed the food markets, people are hopeful for their return where phở can be enjoyed as a shared, culinary moment in daily life again. Here’s to a Vietnamese dish that’s phở-nomenal! Guest Artist Q&A with Lucia Pham Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Hanoi, Vietnam-based guest artist . Below, she shares her thoughts behind the making of this Doodle: Q. Why was this topic meaningful to you personally? A. Being Vietnamese, I love to eat phở. I still remember phở as my daily breakfast when I was in elementary school. At that time, there was a small phở restaurant near my house. My sister and I used to go there to eat a bowl of cooked beef phở noodle, with a poached egg and a plate of bagel twists, then my father would take us to school. This is the dish that every, early autumn morning you will think about. Q. What were your first thoughts when you were approached about working on this Doodle? A. That is "Let's eat Phở tomorrow!" When I'm older, I'm busier, I love cooking at home more than going out to eat. So I decided to have a bowl of Phở tomorrow to help me recall the taste of my favorite Phở. Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? A. I think a lot about how to properly represent Vietnam. This is a bit difficult for me, because my style and aesthetic are quite modern, so I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn't be able to convey the flavor of Vietnam through this Doodle. I really like cement tiles and decorative motifs, so I used a very popular type of cement tile in Vietnam to design with this Doodle. Q. What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle? A. Let's eat phở tomorrow morning! Haha, because the weather in Hanoi is very nice right now, perfect for an early morning with a bowl of phở and a cup of hot coffee, so I always think about eating phở in the morning when making this Doodle. In addition, I also hope that the illustration and motion design in the Doodle will help those who do not understand the ingredients and how to make phở better. Phở is a very precious Vietnamese dish, so I would like to cherish and recommend it. Early drafts of the Doodle ] Location: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Tags: , , , , , , , , ,