Pho, Spring Rolls & Beyond: Southeast Asian Cuisine Takes Center Stage

Last year, food and beverage publications, consumer data platforms, and professional chef organizations including TasteWise and the American Culinary Federation, forecasted that Southeast Asian cuisine would be the top culinary trend of 2025. With traditional and inspired dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines showing up more in American restaurants as fusion dishes, and in homes, this culinary surge indicates more than just robust, evolving tastes. It signals a growing appreciation and acknowledgment of the depth and cultural identities woven into each dish.

Pho, pronounced “fuh,” is a Vietnamese dish traditionally cooked with flat rice noodles, a broth that simmers for hours (the longer, the more umami), herbs including cilantro and basil, and often bok choy, bean sprouts, and shiitake mushrooms. The aromatic broth and heat from pho can be associated with the colder times of the year, but I find it just as comforting on those sweltering summer days that melt into tropical downpours. I’m calling it—summer is going to feel like a satisfying pho slurp on a cool, shaded café patio.

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There’s also something about spring rolls, which are also referred to as salad rolls or ‘nem rolls.’ My favorite combinations of spring rolls are duck and mango, and shrimp, avocado, and cucumber. If you haven’t tried crispy duck and mango gently wrapped in rice paper, I urge you to try this savory and fresh midday treat. Spring rolls keep things light, crisp, and versatile. They're especially suited for warmer climates because they keep fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood nice and cool.

These dishes, and other Asian flavors rooted in tradition, create a sense of ritual, comfort, and continuity across seasons and regions. During AAPI Heritage Month, their presence on American tables takes on deeper cultural meaning. The next time you enjoy a heaping hot bowl of pho, ramen, or fermented vegetables like kimchi and sauerkraut, or dive into a bowl of vermicelli, take a moment to appreciate the people, the culinary traditions, and the histories that have long shaped and influenced U.S. culinary identity.