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Bánh mì

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Bánh mì
Alternative namesVietnamese roll or sandwich, Saigon roll or sandwich
TypeSandwich
Place of originVietnam
Invented1950s[1]
Main ingredientsVietnamese baguette (also called bánh mì)
VariationsSee below
Similar dishesnum pang, khao jee pâté[2]

In Vietnamese cuisine, bánh mì or banh mi (/ˈbɑːn miː/,[3][4][5][6] /ˈbæn/;[7][6] Vietnamese: [ɓǎjŋ̟ mì], 'bread') is a short baguette with thin, crisp crust and a soft, airy texture. It is often split lengthwise and filled with meat and savory ingredients like a submarine sandwich and served as a meal, called bánh mì thịt. Plain bánh mì is also eaten as a staple food.

A typical Vietnamese roll or sandwich is a fusion of meats and vegetables from native Vietnamese cuisine such as chả lụa (Vietnamese sausage), coriander (cilantro), cucumber, pickled carrots, and pickled daikon combined with condiments from French cuisine such as pâté, along with red chili and mayonnaise.[8] However, a variety of popular fillings are used, like xá xíu (Chinese barbecued pork), xíu mại Vietnamese minced pork, and nem nướng grilled pork sausage, to even ice cream which are more of a dessert. In Vietnam, bread rolls and sandwiches are typically eaten for breakfast, or as a snack.

The baguette was introduced to Vietnam by the French in the mid-19th century, during the Nguyễn dynasty, and became a staple food by the early 20th century. In the 1950s, a distinctly Vietnamese style of sandwich developed in Saigon, becoming a popular street food, also known as bánh mì Sài Gòn ('Saigon sandwich' or 'Saigon-style bánh mì').[9][10] Following the Vietnam War, overseas Vietnamese popularized the bánh mì sandwich in countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States. In these countries, they are commonly sold in Asian bakeries.

Terminology

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Bánh mì and bì cuốn

In Vietnamese, the word bánh mì is derived from bánh (which can refer to many kinds of food, primarily baked goods, including bread) and mì ("wheat"). It may also be spelled bánh mỳ in northern Vietnam. Taken alone, bánh mì means any kind of bread, but it could refer to the Vietnamese baguette or the sandwich made from it. To distinguish the unfilled bread from the sandwich with fillings, the term bánh mì không ("plain bread") can be used. To distinguish Vietnamese-style bread from other kinds of bread, the term bánh mì Sài Gòn ("Saigon-style bread") or bánh mì Việt Nam ("Vietnam-style bread") can be used.

A folk etymology claims that the word bánh mì is a corruption of the French pain de mie, meaning soft, white bread.[11] However, bánh (or its Nôm form, 餅) has referred to rice cakes and other pastries since as early as the 13th century, long before French contact.[12]

History

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Bánh mì chà bông, giò lụa, chili pepper

The word bánh mì, meaning "bread", is attested in Vietnamese as early as the 1830s, in Jean-Louis Taberd's dictionary Dictionarium Latino-Annamiticum.[13] The French introduced Vietnam to the baguette, along with other baked goods such as pâté chaud, in the 1860s, at the start of their imperialism in Vietnam.[14][15] Northern Vietnamese initially called the baguette bánh tây, literally "Western bánh", while Southern Vietnamese called it bánh mì, "wheat bánh".[16][17] Nguyễn Đình Chiểu mentions the baguette in his 1861 poem "Văn tế nghĩa sĩ Cần Giuộc". Due to the price of imported wheat at the time, French baguettes and sandwiches were considered a luxury. During World War I, an influx of French soldiers and supplies arrived. At the same time, disruptions of wheat imports led bakers to begin mixing in inexpensive rice flour (which also made the bread fluffier). As a result, it became possible for ordinary Vietnamese to enjoy French staples such as bread.[18][19][17] Many shops baked twice a day, because bread tends to go stale quickly in the hot, humid climate of Vietnam. Baguettes were mainly eaten for breakfast with some butter and sugar.[15]

A bánh mì stand in Ho Chi Minh City

Until the 1950s, sandwiches hewed closely to French tastes, typically a jambon-beurre moistened with a mayonnaise or liver pâté spread.[18][19][15][2] The 1954 Partition of Vietnam sent over a million migrants from North Vietnam to South Vietnam, transforming Saigon's local cuisine.[16] Among the migrants were Lê Minh Ngọc and Nguyễn Thị Tịnh, who opened a small bakery named Hòa Mã in District 3. In 1958, Hòa Mã became one of the first shops to sell bánh mì thịt.[18][20][21] Around this time, another migrant from the North began selling chả sandwiches from a basket on a mobylette,[22] and a stand in Gia Định Province (present-day Phú Nhuận District) began selling phá lấu sandwiches.[23] Some shops stuffed sandwiches with inexpensive Cheddar cheese, which came from French food aid that migrants from the North had rejected.[15] Vietnamese communities in France also began selling bánh mì.[17]

After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, bánh mì sandwiches became a luxury item once again.[16] During the so-called "subsidy period", state-owned phở eateries often served bread or cold rice as a side dish, leading to the present-day practice of dipping quẩy in phở.[24] In the 1980s, Đổi Mới market reforms led to a renaissance in bánh mì, mostly as street food.[16]

Meanwhile, Vietnamese Americans brought bánh mì sandwiches to cities across the United States. In Northern California, Lê Văn Bá and his sons are credited with popularizing bánh mì among Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese Americans alike through their food truck services provider and their fast-food chain, Lee's Sandwiches, beginning in the 1980s.[17] Sometimes bánh mì was likened to local sandwiches. In New Orleans, a "Vietnamese po' boy" recipe won the 2009 award for the best po' boy at the annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival.[25] A restaurant in Philadelphia also sells a similar sandwich, marketed as a "Vietnamese hoagie".[26]

Bánh mì in California

Since the 1970s, Vietnamese refugees from the Vietnam War arrived in London and were hosted at community centers [27] in areas of London such as De Beauvoir Town eventually founding a string of successful Vietnamese-style canteens in Shoreditch where bánh mì alongside phở, was popularised from the 1990s.

Bánh mì sandwiches were featured in the 2002 PBS documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like. The word bánh mì was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on 24 March 2011.[28][29] As of 2017, bánh mì is included in about 2% of U.S. restaurant sandwich menus, a nearly fivefold increase from 2013.[30] On 24 March 2020, Google celebrated bánh mì with a Google Doodle.[31]

Ingredients

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Bread

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Loaves of bánh mì at Dong Phuong Oriental Bakery in New Orleans

A Vietnamese baguette has a thin crust and white, airy crumb. It may consist of both wheat flour and rice flour.[18]

Besides being made into a sandwich, it is eaten alongside meat dishes, such as bò kho (a beef stew), curry, and phá lấu. It can also be dipped in condensed milk (see Sữa Ông Thọ).

Fillings

[edit]
Assembling a bánh mì

A bánh mì sandwich typically consists of one or more meats, accompanying vegetables, and condiments.

Accompanying vegetables typically include fresh cucumber slices or wedges, leaves of the coriander plant and pickled carrot and daikon in shredded form (đồ chua). Common condiments include spicy chili sauce, sliced chilis, seasoning sauce, and mayonnaise.[14][17] These sandwiches can even be filled with seared tofu. [32]

Varieties

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Bánh mì to eat with bò kho

Many fillings are used. A typical bánh mì shop in the United States offers at least 10 varieties.[33]

The most popular variety is bánh mì thịt, thịt meaning "meat". Bánh mì thịt nguội (also known as bánh mì pâté chả thịt, bánh mì đặc biệt, or "special combo") is made with various Vietnamese cold cuts, such as sliced pork or pork belly, chả lụa (Vietnamese sausage), and head cheese, along with the liver pâté and vegetables like carrot or cucumbers.[34][16][10][35]

Other varieties include:

  • Bánh mì bì (shredded pork sandwich) – shredded pork or pork skin, doused with fish sauce
  • Bánh mì chà bông (pork floss sandwich)
  • Bánh mì xíu mại (minced pork meatball sandwich) – smashed pork meatballs
  • bánh mì thịt nguội (ham sandwich)
  • Bánh mì cá mòi (sardine sandwich)
  • Bánh mì pa-tê (pâté sandwich)
  • Bánh mì xá xíu or bánh mì thịt nướng (barbecue pork sandwich)
  • Bánh mì chả lụa or bánh mì giò lụa (Vietnamese sausage sandwich)
  • Bánh mì gà nướng (grilled chicken sandwich)
  • Bánh mì chay (vegetarian sandwich) – made with tofu or seitan; in Vietnam, usually made at Buddhist temples during special religious events, but uncommon on the streets
  • Bánh mì chả cá (fish patty sandwich)
  • Bánh mì bơ (margarine or buttered sandwich) – margarine / butter and sugar
  • Bánh mì trứng ốp-la (fried egg sandwich) – contains fried eggs with onions, sprinkled with soy sauce, sometimes buttered; served for breakfast in Vietnam
  • Bánh mì kẹp kem (ice cream sandwich) – contains scoops of ice cream topped with crushed peanuts[36]
  • Bánh mì chả lụa (pork sausage sandwich)
    Bánh mì chả lụa (pork sausage sandwich)
  • Bánh mì đặc biệt ("special combo" sandwich)
    Bánh mì đặc biệt ("special combo" sandwich)
  • Bánh mì bì (shredded pork sandwich) at Eden Center
    Bánh mì bì (shredded pork sandwich) at Eden Center
  • Bánh mì xíu mại (minced pork meatball sandwich)
    Bánh mì xíu mại (minced pork meatball sandwich)
  • Bánh mì thịt nướng (barbecue pork sandwich)
    Bánh mì thịt nướng (barbecue pork sandwich)
  • with Chicken Schnitzel
    with Chicken Schnitzel
  • Bánh mì than tre (Bamboo charcoal bánh mì)
    Bánh mì than tre (Bamboo charcoal bánh mì)
Bánh mì chảo
Bánh mỳ que

Nowadays, different types of bánh mì are popular. For example, bánh mì que is thinner and longer and can be filled with various ingredients just as normal bánh mì.

Notable vendors

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Bánh mì sold in Lee's Sandwiches.

Prior to the Fall of Saigon in 1975, well-known South Vietnamese bánh mì vendors included Bánh mì Ba Lẹ and Bánh mì Như Lan (which opened in 1968[18]).

In regions of the United States with significant populations of Vietnamese Americans, numerous bakeries and fast food restaurants specialize in bánh mì. Lee's Sandwiches, a fast food chain with locations in several states, specializes in Vietnamese sandwiches served on French baguettes (or traditional bánh mì at some locations) as well as Western-style sandwiches served on croissants. In New Orleans, Dong Phuong Oriental Bakery is known for the bánh mì bread that it distributes to restaurants throughout the city. After 1975, Ba Lẹ owner Võ Văn Lẹ fled to the United States and, along with Lâm Quốc Thanh, founded Bánh mì Ba Lê.[37] The Eden Center shopping center in Northern Virginia has several well-known bakeries specializing in bánh mì.[14]

Mainstream fast food chains have also incorporated bánh mì and other Vietnamese dishes into their portfolios. Yum! Brands operates a chain of bánh mì cafés called Bánh Shop.[17] The former Chipotle-owned ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen chain briefly sold bánh mì. Jack in the Box offers a "bánh mì–inspired" fried chicken sandwich as part of its Food Truck Series.[38] McDonald's and Paris Baguette locations in Vietnam offer bánh mì.[39][40]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The best Vietnamese Sandwich to Fall in Love With". Authenticfoodquest.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b Moskin, Julia (7 April 2009). "Building on Layers of Tradition". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  3. ^ "banh mi". OxfordDictionaries.com (British & World English). Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  4. ^ "banh mi". OxfordDictionaries.com (North American English). Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  5. ^ "banh mi". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Banh Mi". Merriam-Webster. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  7. ^ "banh mi". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 24 November 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  8. ^ Young, Daniel (25 September 1996). "East Meets West in 'Nam Sandwich". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020.
  9. ^ Saigon-Style Banh Mi Archived 29 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Times
  10. ^ a b "Bánh mì Sài Gòn ở Mỹ". baomoi.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  11. ^ Lorenzo, Sandra (21 April 2013). "Banh Mi : le sandwich vietnamien qui va pimenter votre pause déjeuner". HuffPost (in French). Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  12. ^ Trần Nhân Tông (c. 1300) [13th century]. 居塵樂道賦 第九會 Cư trần lạc đạo phú, đệ cửu hội  (in Vietnamese) – via Wikisource.
  13. ^ Jean-Louis Taberd (1838). "Panis". Dictionarium Latino-Annamiticum. Dictionarium anamitico-latinum (in Latin). p. 453. hdl:2027/uc1.b000742998. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2018 – via HathiTrust.
  14. ^ a b c Nicholls, Walter (6 February 2008). "The Banh Mi of My Dreams". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  15. ^ a b c d Vũ Hồng Liên (2016). Rice and Baguette: A History of Food in Vietnam. London: Reaktion Books. pp. 147–150. ISBN 9781780237046. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2018 – via Google Books.
  16. ^ a b c d e Eckhardt, Robyn (30 July 2010). "Saigon's Banh Mi". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Lam, Andrew (2015). "The Marvel of Bánh Mì" (PDF). The Cairo Review of Global Affairs (18). American University in Cairo: 64–71. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  18. ^ a b c d e Hương Giang (10 September 2016). "Bánh mì Việt Nam và hành trình chinh phục cả thế giới". Người Lao động (in Vietnamese). No. 212. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  19. ^ a b Lê Văn Nghĩa (11 June 2017). "Chuyện xưa – chuyện nay: Bánh mì Sài Gòn trong thơ" [Then and now: Saigon sandwiches in poetry]. Tuổi Trẻ (in Vietnamese). Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  20. ^ Phong Vinh (21 November 2015). "Bánh mì Hòa Mã 50 năm ở Sài Gòn" [Hòa Mã bakery at 50 years in Saigon]. VnExpress (in Vietnamese). FPT Group. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  21. ^ "5 quán ăn lâu đời nhất Sài Gòn" [The 5 oldest eateries in Saigon]. Barcode (in Vietnamese). Indochine Media Ventures Vietnam. 8 August 2016. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  22. ^ P.V. (5 June 2013). "Vào hẻm tìm ăn bánh mì cụ Lý" [Searching the alleys for grandpa Lý's sandwiches]. Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). Vietnam United Youth League. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Xe bánh mì phá lấu 60 năm tại góc phố Sài Gòn". Ngôi sao (in Vietnamese). VnExpress. 8 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  24. ^ Trịnh Quang Dũng (22 January 2010). "Phở theo thời cuộc" [Pho in the present day]. Báo Khoa Học Phổ Thông (in Vietnamese). Ho Chi Minh City Union of Science and Technology Associations. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  25. ^ "The Vietnamese Po-Boy". WWNO. 15 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  26. ^ "Vietnamese Hoagies Now on the Menu". Archived from the original on 1 October 2015.
  27. ^ "An Viet House in de Beauvoir could become Asian community's answer to Jamie Oliver's training restaurant Fifteen". 27 February 2018.
  28. ^ "Oxford English Dictionary Archived 3 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 2011.03.24
  29. ^ Andy Bloxham. "Heart symbol enters Oxford English Dictionary". The Daily Telegraph, 24 March 2011.
  30. ^ Salisbury, Ian (20 July 2017). "This Is America's Hottest Sandwich Right Now". Money. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  31. ^ "Celebrating Banh Mi". Google. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  32. ^ "Banh Mi Sandwich". loveandlemons.com. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  33. ^ Ngọc Lan (10 May 2013). "Chuyện kinh doanh bánh mì tại Little Saigon (kỳ 2)" [Tales of sandwich shop tales in Little Saigon (part 2)]. Nguoi Viet Daily News (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  34. ^ Andrea Nguyen. "Master Banh Mi Sandwich Recipe" Archived 30 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Viet World Kitchen, retrieved 2010.04.03
  35. ^ "Bánh mì Sài gòn nức tiếng thế giới" Archived 28 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine, TuanVietNam, 2012/10/20
  36. ^ "Sài Gòn: Mua 'vé về tuổi thơ' với bánh mì kẹp kem siêu rẻ" [Saigon: Purchase a "ticket to childhood" with super-cheap ice cream sandwiches]. Trí Thức Trẻ (in Vietnamese). Hội Trí thức Khoa học và Công nghệ Trẻ Việt Nam. 18 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
  37. ^ "our story". Ba Le Sandwiches. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  38. ^ Wiesberg, Lori (29 January 2018). "Jack vs. Martha: A Jack in the Box fast food showdown begins". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  39. ^ Ives, Mike (7 February 2014). "McDonald's Opens in Vietnam, Bringing Big Mac to Fans of Banh Mi". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  40. ^ Davis, Brett (26 October 2016). "How Vietnam's Dining Habits Are Changing With International Brands". Forbes. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
[edit]
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