Bánh mì

"Ban Mi" redirects here. For The Thai district, see Ban Mi District.

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 (/ˈbʌn ˌmiː/; Vietnamese pronunciation: [ɓǎɲ mî]) is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. Bread, or more specifically the baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period. 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 sandwiches made from bánh mì include meat and soy fillings such as steamed, pan-roasted or oven-roasted seasoned pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork, grilled pork patties, spreadable pork liver pâté, pork floss, grilled chicken, chicken floss, canned sardines in tomato sauce, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce, head cheese, fried eggs, and tofu. Accompanying vegetables include fresh cucumber slices, cilantro (leaves of the coriander plant) and pickled carrots and daikon in shredded form. Common condiments include spicy chili sauce, sliced chilis, mayonnaise, and Laughing Cow cheese.

Although the term "bánh mì" itself only means bread without any fillings, the term is used to refer to a type of meat-filled sandwich found in Vietnamese bakeries abroad, especially in the US, Canada, Australia, France, where there are substantial Vietnamese immigrant communities. In the Vietnamese language, the term "bánh mì" is not enough to describe the type of meat-filled sandwich. Therefore, additional words are added to describe the kind of fillings. For example, "bánh mì pâté thịt" means a sandwich with pâté and meat, usually pork bellies since it is the most common kind of meat. "Bánh mì pâté cha thịt" means a sandwich with pâté, Vietnamese sausage and meat. However, even in Vietnam 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.

"Banh mi" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on March 24, 2011.. "Bánh mì" is considered one of the world's best street foods.

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, chả lụa, 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

• Chow mein sandwich, an east coast Chinese-American sandwich
• Hoagie
• Lee's Sandwiches
• Sandwich
• St. Paul sandwich, a midwestern Chinese-American sandwich
• Vietnamese cuisine

External links

• 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.