Imperial Legacy · Spicy Beef Noodle Soup
Bún Bò Huế
Photo: avlxyz (Alpha) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Unlike almost every other Vietnamese noodle soup, it simmers beef and pork bones in the same pot together — a combination food historians trace back to the abundance of the old royal court's kitchens.
Round rice noodles sit in a broth built from beef and pork bones simmered for hours with lemongrass, chili oil, and fermented shrimp paste, topped with sliced beef shank, cubes of congealed pig blood, and pork knuckle. Street stalls across Huế ladle it out from huge pots, and it's eaten any time of day, not just at breakfast.
Why it's made this way: The dish is believed to have developed in Huế under the Nguyễn Lords starting in the late 1500s and 1600s, catered originally for the royal family and high-ranking officials before spreading from the royal kitchens to street stalls and homes across central Vietnam.
More from Vietnam
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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