Pho and goi cuon (summer rolls) have been listed among the world’s Top 50 most delicious dishes by CNN, based on a vote of 35,000 people.

Pho, which was in 20th place on the list, is virtually the national dish and can be found all over Vietnam, though it is more of a Hanoi specialty and may taste a little sweeter and thicker in the south. It is a bowl of soft rice noodles in a broth carefully prepared with different herbs and served with beef or chicken, and shallots, with chili and lemon on the side. “But it’s greater than the sum of its parts - fragrant, tasty and balanced,” CNN said.

A bowl of pho bo or beef noddle. Photo by Vietnamese.style.

Eating pho in Hanoi was also found on a bucket list of 50 travel experiences you try in Asia by US news site Business Insider last October. According to the site, the dish is considered one of the most nutritious in Vietnam and possibly its best hangover cure. It is loved by locals and tourist alike, so much so that there were heated online debates last year about how it should be served.

While pho is more of a main dish and a common breakfast choice, goi cuon, or fresh summer rolls, are a popular snack in the south. Rice paper is wrapped around pork, shrimp, herbs and rice vermicelli, and the dish is best served after being dunked in sweet and sour fish sauce or a thick peanut dip.

Goi cuon - summer roll. Photo by Saigonamthuc.vn.

Although the dish finished at the bottom of the list, it was named the Number 1 appetizer for a full-course party and featured on the first episode of Snoop Dog’s cooking show Potluck Dinner Party, which first aired last November. A video of him making the rolls went viral on Facebook in just a couple days. CNN readers called it “meat light” and the very definition of “moreish”./.

The Top 50 was dominated by Asian dishes as well as Italian lasagna and pizza, Mexican fajitas and tacos, French croissants, Turkish kebabs, and American ice cream and cheeseburgers.

VNF/VET