Bánh mì

Bánh mì

Bánh mì thịt nướng (baguette with grilled meat)
Alternative names	Vietnamese Sandwich
Place of origin	Vietnam / French Indochina
Cookbook: Bánh mì   Media: Bánh mì

Bánh mì or bánh mỳ (/ˈbʌnmiː/, Vietnamese: [ɓǎːɲ mî]) is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. "Banh mi" can be literally translated as "cake made from wheat." Bread, or more specifically the baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period. The baguette is explicitly called the bánh mì baguette. Sliced bread loaf is explicitly called bánh mì goi (literally bánh mì pillow) because it resembles the squarish wooden Vietnamese pillow. The bread most commonly found in Vietnam is single serve and resembles a torpedo, therefore the term bánh mì is synonymous with this type of bread. The bánh mì is usually more airy than its western counterpart, so as a result, has a thinner crust.

The sandwich made from bánh mì include meat fillings such as steamed, pan-roasted or oven-roasted seasoned pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork, grilled pork patties, spreadable pork liver pate, pork floss, grilled chicken, chicken floss, canned sardines in tomato sauce, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce, head cheese, fried eggs... Accompanying vegetables include fresh cucumber slices, cilantro and pickled carrots and daikon in shredded forms. Spicy chilli sauce is normally found in bánh mì sold by vendors in Vietnam. In western countries, especially the U.S., the chilli sauce has been replaced with sliced jalapenos, a type of chilli peppers that is not grown and consumed in Vietnam. In southern Vietnam, homemade mayonnaise is commonly added to the sandwich. Laughing Cow cheese is also popular fillings in Vietnam.

Abroad, bánh mì shops can be found in areas with a Vietnamese immigrant community. The sandwich has become more accepted by mainstream populations in certain urban centers.

Although the word "bánh mì" itself only means bread without any fillings, it has become acceptable to use the term to describe the type of meat-filled sandwichs found in Vietnamese bakeries abroads, especially in the US, Canada, Australia, France... where there are substantial Vietnamese populations. In the Vietnamese language, the term "bánh mì" is not enough to describe a meat-filled sandwich. Therefore, additional words are added to describe the kind of fillings. For example, "bánh mì pate thit" means a sandwich with pate and meat, usually pork bellies since it is the most common kind of meat. "bánh mì pate cha thit" means a sandwich with pate, vietnamese sausage and meat... However, when somebody says "I'm going to have a bánh mì for breakfast," it implies that he or she is going to have a meat-filled sandwich for breakfast, not just bread. The bánh mì sandwich is always sold as a take-away food in Vietnam; it is never served at a restaurant.

"Banh mi" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on March 24, 2011.

Ingredients

Bánh mì xíu mại (crushed pork meatball bánh mì) from a Houston, Texas, Asian market.

Bánh mì đặc biệt ("special combo" bánh mì).

The sandwich is a product of French colonialism in Indochina, combining ingredients from the French (baguettes, pâté and mayonnaise) with native Vietnamese ingredients like cilantro (coriander leaves), hot peppers, and pickled carrots.

The classic version bánh mì thịt nguội, sometimes known as bánh mì đặc biệt or "special combo", is made with various Vietnamese cold cuts such as sliced pork or pork bellies, cha lua, and head cheese, along with the liver pâté and vegetables. Some restaurants also offer bánh mì chay, a vegetarian option, made with tofu or seitan. In Vietnam, vegetarian sandwiches are rarely found on the streets. They are usually made at Buddhist temples during special religious events.

Another option is the breakfast bánh mì, either with scrambled eggs served in a baguette, or the version eaten more widely for breakfast in Vietnam: Eggs fried sunny-side-up with onions, sprinkled with soy sauce or Maggi sauce, and eaten with a fresh (and sometimes buttered) baguette.

See also

• Lee's Sandwiches
• Vietnamese cuisine
• Chow mein sandwich An east coast Chinese-American sandwich
• St. Paul sandwich A midwestern Chinese-American sandwich
• Sandwich

External links

• The Banh Mi Sandwich!
• The Banh Mi of My Dreams The Washington Post.
• Bánh Mì: The baguette-bound culinary bonanza Austin Chronicle.
• Banh mi? There is no sub Boston Globe.
• Building on Layers of Tradition The New York Times.
• Vietnamese Sandwiches Banh Mi Saigon.