Bánh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich made with a crusty baguette and a variety of fillings, including pork, beef, chicken, tofu, and vegetables. It originated during French colonization and is now a popular street food known for being filling and affordable.
Bánh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich famous for being extremely filling and relatively cheap. In its native Vietnam, bánh mi is a common offering in many restaurants and stalls, and in regions of the world with a large Vietnamese community, the bun is also extremely common. Either way, there are a number of configurations to choose from, with ingredients ranging from barbecued shredded pork to tofu, and toppings that can be mild or intensely spicy.
The development of bánh mi didn’t begin until the French colonization of Vietnam, which introduced people to baguette, a type of long, thin, crusty French bread. French settlers developed a kind of salad sandwich, taking advantage of locally available Vietnamese ingredients such as fresh greens, pickled greens, and hot peppers, and the first form of bánh mi was born. While the French left Vietnam, my taste for bánh remained.
This sandwich is analogous to the submarine sandwich in the United States, also known as a hoagie, po’ boy, hero, grinder, wedge, or Italian, among many other alternate names. However, the bánh mi has a few hallmarks that set it apart from this well-known American sandwich. The first is the inclusion of classic Asian ingredients such as daikon radish, cilantro, pickled carrots, sriracha chili sauce, tofu and spring onions. The second is the seasoning used on meats, when meat is included; the beef typically has a Vietnamese feel.
Pork, beef, and chicken are all used in bánh mi, sometimes even together. The sandwich can also include ingredients like eggs for a breakfast sandwich, and ingredients like seitan, tempeh, and textured vegetable protein aren’t unheard of in vegetarian versions. In all cases, bánh mi typically has a healthy balance of fresh vegetables and greens mixed with meat.
Some people call the bánh mi a kind of kitchen sink sandwich, which means cooks throw whatever they have around the house. Whether the bánh mi is assembled from leftovers or specially engineered ingredients, it tends to be very filling, with the ingredients generally attempting to burst from the baguette. Most people are used to the very cheap bánh mi, making it a popular street food and quick meal.
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