Phở is Vietnam’s national dish. Despite countless other Vietnamese noodle soups, it’s spread across the globe representing the country in all its deliciousness. Phở differs from region to region: lighter, clearer and more refined in the north where it originated in the early twentieth century and more pungent and herbaceous in the south. Rumour has it the name came from the French dish, pot au feu, after the French occupied Vietnam. Searching for a taste of home, they unknowingly sparked what could be the world’s most famous fusion dish. Another theory is that soldiers would ask gánh phở – roaming street vendors with kitchens on poles – for feu (fire in French) to fill up on the then-novel noodle and beef stew that nourishes from the inside out.