What French dish is thought to have influenced the creation of pho?

Pot-au-feu is the French dish thought to have influenced the creation of pho. The connection comes from French colonial rule in Vietnam, when French cooking traditions and beef became more prominent in the region.

Pot-au-feu is a slow-cooked French stew of meat and vegetables, usually served with its broth. Pho likewise depends on a carefully simmered beef-bone broth, so food historians often compare the two dishes. The French name has also been proposed as one possible influence on the word “pho,” although the dish’s exact etymology remains debated.

Pho was not simply copied from pot-au-feu. Vietnamese cooks combined French-influenced beef broth with rice noodles, charred ginger and onion, toasted spices, and local serving customs. Chinese culinary influences also helped shape the dish. A common mix-up is treating pot-au-feu as pho’s proven single origin; it is better described as a likely influence in pho’s complex development.