A bowl of Pho bo (beef noodle soup). (Photo: VNA)

The top-20 list article published on the news site this week quoted Andrea Nguyen, author of “The Pho Cookbook”, as saying Pho is among Vietnam’s most recognised culinary exports. And while today’s Pho restaurants serve a wide range of flavors, beef is the original.

By 1930, Nguyen explained, the soup was served with slices of raw beef cooked gently in the broth.

According to the article, the broth is simmered for hours with cinnamon, star anise, and other warm spices to create a wonderfully aromatic base for this rice noodle soup.

Today, beef pho remains the most beloved version in Vietnam, with options that include the original raw beef, a mix of raw and cooked beef, brisket, and tendon, CNN said.