Vietnamese cuisine follows the Vietnamese people through 5 continents whereby they aren’t only welcomed by Vietnamese expatriates but also by many international diners. Pho and Bun bo Hue have long been recognized as purely delicious Vietnamese dishes. However, there is another delicacy which is known for its simplicity and representative of both the lifestyle and spirit of the Vietnamese people. That is Banh Mi (Bánh Mì).
the origin
The French first introduced baguettes to Saigon in 1859 and this is often considered the origin of today’s baguettes. The French baguettes were originally thick, dense and not crunchy. They were widely consumed until 1970 when baguette and milk were included in school rations. The first Japanese ovens were thus imported in order to increase the productivity of baguette. These ovens are characterized by being airtight and prevents evaporation during baking. As a result the baguette became hollow and crispy. Saigon people have since become very fond of this new type of baguette.
The turning point for the humble Banh Mi came in 1958, when a shop called Hoa Ma, instead of serving baguettes with the usual butter, soup or ham decided to clamp a variety of ingredients into the Banh Mi in order to help people save time. This became widely accepted throughout the country and to this day has become an indispensable food to the Vietnamese.
Thanks to Google search, we can easily avail ourselves to many different recipes for making a great “banh mi”. Even in its homeland, it has different tastes in different places depending on the cultural characteristics and lifestyle of the region.
“The best of the world”
When visiting Hoi An, many travelers may consider “Banh Mi Phuong” restaurant an indispensable stop in their itinerary. The restaurant was highly recommended as “the world’s best Banh Mi” by Anthony Bourdain in his show “No Reservations” in 2009. Since then, “Banh Mi Phuong” has been the number one choice of thousands of visitors to Hoi An each day.
In April 2011, the word “Bánh Mì” was included in the Oxford English dictionary. It has become the third Vietnamese word used in this dictionary after “Áo Dài” and “Phở”
If you are planning to visit Vietnam, please, do not leave out “banh mi” in your to-do list. Eating “Bánh Mì” will let you feel Vietnamese in the closet and dearest way.
(Justin Ngoc Pham)
