Bánh mì explained

Bánh mì
Alternate Name:Vietnamese roll or sandwich, Saigon roll or sandwich
Country:South Vietnam
Year:1950s[1]
Type:Sandwich
Main Ingredient:Vietnamese baguette (also called Vietnamese: bánh mì)
Variations:See below
Similar Dish:num pang, khao jee pâté

In Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese: bánh mì|italic=no or banh mi ([2] [3] [4] [5] ;[6] pronounced as /vi/, '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 Vietnamese: bánh mì thịt. Plain Vietnamese: 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 Vietnamese: [[chả lụa]] (Vietnamese sausage), coriander (cilantro), cucumber, pickled carrots, and pickled daikon combined with condiments from French cuisine such as French: [[pâté]], along with red chili and mayonnaise.[7] However, a variety of popular fillings are used, like Vietnamese: [[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 Vietnamese: bánh mì Sài Gòn ('Saigon sandwich' or 'Saigon-style Vietnamese: bánh mì').[8] Following the Vietnam War, overseas Vietnamese popularized the Vietnamese: bánh mì sandwich in countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States. In these countries, they are commonly sold in Asian bakeries.

Terminology

In Vietnamese, the word Vietnamese: bánh mì is derived from Vietnamese: [[bánh]] (which can refer to many kinds of food, primarily baked goods, including bread) and Vietnamese: ("wheat"). It may also be spelled Vietnamese: bánh mỳ in northern Vietnam. Taken alone, Vietnamese: 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 Vietnamese: bánh mì không ("plain bread") can be used. To distinguish Vietnamese-style bread from other kinds of bread, the term Vietnamese: bánh mì Sài Gòn ("Saigon-style bread") or Vietnamese: bánh mì Việt Nam ("Vietnam-style bread") can be used.

A folk etymology claims that the word Vietnamese: bánh mì is a corruption of the French French: [[pain de mie]], meaning soft, white bread.[9] However, Vietnamese: [[wikt:bánh|bánh]] (or its Nôm form,) has referred to rice cakes and other pastries since as early as the 13th century, long before French contact.[10]

History

The word Vietnamese: bánh mì, meaning "bread", is attested in Vietnamese as early as the 1830s, in Jean-Louis Taberd's dictionary Latin: Dictionarium Latino-Annamiticum.[11] 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.[12] [13] Northern Vietnamese initially called the baguette Vietnamese: bánh tây, literally "Western bánh", while Southern Vietnamese called it Vietnamese: bánh mì, "wheat bánh". Nguyễn Đình Chiểu mentions the baguette in his 1861 poem "Vietnamese: [[s:vi:Văn tế nghĩa sĩ Cần Giuộc|Văn tế nghĩa sĩ Cần Giuộc]]|italic=no". 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.[14] 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.

Until the 1950s, sandwiches hewed closely to French tastes, typically a jambon-beurre moistened with a mayonnaise or liver French: [[pâté]] spread.[15] The 1954 Partition of Vietnam sent over a million migrants from North Vietnam to South Vietnam, transforming Saigon's local cuisine. Among the migrants were Vietnamese: Lê Minh Ngọc|italic=no and Vietnamese: Nguyễn Thị Tịnh|italic=no, who opened a small bakery named Vietnamese: Hòa Mã|italic=no in District 3. In 1958, Vietnamese: Hòa Mã|italic=no became one of the first shops to sell Vietnamese: bánh mì thịt.[16] [17] Around this time, another migrant from the North began selling Vietnamese: [[Chả lụa|chả]] sandwiches from a basket on a mobylette,[18] and a stand in Gia Định Province (present-day Phú Nhuận District) began selling Vietnamese: phá lấu sandwiches.[19] Some shops stuffed sandwiches with inexpensive Cheddar cheese, which came from French food aid that migrants from the North had rejected. Vietnamese communities in France also began selling Vietnamese: bánh mì.

After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, Vietnamese: bánh mì sandwiches became a luxury item once again. 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 Vietnamese: [[Youtiao|quẩy]] in phở.[20] In the 1980s, Đổi Mới market reforms led to a renaissance in Vietnamese: bánh mì, mostly as street food.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese Americans brought bánh mì sandwiches to cities across the United States. In Northern California, Vietnamese: Lê Văn Bá|italic=no and his sons are credited with popularizing Vietnamese: 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. Sometimes Vietnamese: 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.[21] A restaurant in Philadelphia also sells a similar sandwich, marketed as a "Vietnamese hoagie".[22]

Since the 1970s, Vietnamese refugees from the Vietnam War arrived in London and were hosted at community centers [23] 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.

Vietnamese: Bánh mì sandwiches were featured in the 2002 PBS documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like. The word Vietnamese: bánh mì was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on 24 March 2011.[24] [25] As of 2017, Vietnamese: bánh mì is included in about 2% of U.S. restaurant sandwich menus, a nearly fivefold increase from 2013.[26] On 24 March 2020, Google celebrated bánh mì with a Google Doodle.[27]

Ingredients

Bread

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

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

Fillings

A Vietnamese: 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 (Vietnamese: đồ chua). Common condiments include spicy chili sauce, sliced chilis, seasoning sauce, and mayonnaise.[12] [28]

Varieties

Many fillings are used. A typical Vietnamese: bánh mì shop in the United States offers at least 10 varieties.[29]

The most popular variety is Vietnamese: bánh mì thịt, thịt meaning "meat". Vietnamese: Bánh mì thịt nguội (also known as Vietnamese: bánh mì pâté chả thịt, Vietnamese: 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 French: [[pâté]] and vegetables like carrot or cucumbers.[30] [31] [32] [33]

Other varieties include:

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

Notable vendors

Prior to the Fall of Saigon in 1975, well-known South Vietnamese Vietnamese: bánh mì vendors included Vietnamese: Bánh mì Ba Lẹ|italic=no and Vietnamese: Bánh mì Như Lan|italic=no (which opened in 1968[35]).

In regions of the United States with significant populations of Vietnamese Americans, numerous bakeries and fast food restaurants specialize in Vietnamese: bánh mì. Lee's Sandwiches, a fast food chain with locations in several states, specializes in Vietnamese sandwiches served on French baguettes (or traditional Vietnamese: 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 Vietnamese: bánh mì bread that it distributes to restaurants throughout the city. After 1975, Vietnamese: Ba Lẹ|italic=no owner Võ Văn Lẹ fled to the United States and, along with Vietnamese: Lâm Quốc Thanh|italic=no, founded Vietnamese: Bánh mì Ba Lê|italic=no.[36] The Eden Center shopping center in Northern Virginia has several well-known bakeries specializing in Vietnamese: bánh mì.

Mainstream fast food chains have also incorporated Vietnamese: bánh mì and other Vietnamese dishes into their portfolios. Yum! Brands operates a chain of Vietnamese: bánh mì cafés called Bánh Shop. The former Chipotle-owned ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen chain briefly sold Vietnamese: bánh mì. Jack in the Box offers a "Vietnamese: bánh mì–inspired" fried chicken sandwich as part of its Food Truck Series.[37] McDonald's and Paris Baguette locations in Vietnam offer Vietnamese: bánh mì.[38] [39]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The best Vietnamese Sandwich to Fall in Love With. Authenticfoodquest.com. 20 Mar 2020. 4 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210304205801/https://www.authenticfoodquest.com/banh-mi-best-vietnamese-sandwich/. live.
  2. banh mi. OxfordDictionaries.com (British & World English) . . 9 May 2017. 16 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171216034447/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/banh_mi . live.
  3. banh mi . OxfordDictionaries.com (North American English) . Oxford University Press . 9 May 2017 . 16 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171216034518/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/banh_mi . live .
  4. banh mi . . 5th . . 9 May 2017. 28 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200928222950/https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=banh+mi . live .
  5. Banh Mi . . Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. . 9 May 2017 . 31 May 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170531141615/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banh%20mi. live.
  6. banh mi . . . 9 May 2017 . 24 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171124191850/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/banh-mi . live .
  7. News: Daniel . Young . East Meets West in 'Nam Sandwich . https://web.archive.org/web/20200323220056/https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/lifestyle/east-meets-west-nam-sandwich-france-influence-indochina-helps-baguette-viet-fave-article-1.742637 . 23 March 2020 . . 25 September 1996 .
  8. https://www.latimes.com/recipe/saigon-style-banh-mi Saigon-Style Banh Mi
  9. Web site: Banh Mi : le sandwich vietnamien qui va pimenter votre pause déjeuner. Sandra. Lorenzo. HuffPost. 21 April 2013. 3 April 2018. fr. 4 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180404073046/https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2013/04/18/banh-mi--le-sandwich-viet_n_3110030.html. live.
  10. 居塵樂道賦 第九會 Cư trần lạc đạo phú, đệ cửu hội . vi:Cư trần lạc đạo phú/Đệ cửu hội . Trần Nhân Tông . Trần Nhân Tông . c. 1300 . 13th century . vi.
  11. Encyclopedia: Panis. Jean-Louis Taberd. Jean-Louis Taberd. Dictionarium Latino-Annamiticum. Dictionarium anamitico-latinum. 1838. 453. 2027/uc1.b000742998?urlappend=%3Bseq=551. la. HathiTrust. 12 April 2018. 4 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211204111547/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b000742998;seq=551;a=zoom:1. live.
  12. News: The Banh Mi of My Dreams. Walter. Nicholls. The Washington Post. 6 February 2008. 20 September 2017. 12 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201212140111/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/05/AR2008020500888.html. live.
  13. Book: Rice and Baguette: A History of Food in Vietnam. Vũ Hồng Liên. London. Reaktion Books. 2016. 147–150. 9781780237046. Google Books. 9 April 2018. 21 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210721103239/https://books.google.com/books?id=UJGEDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT147. live.
  14. News: Chuyện xưa – chuyện nay: Bánh mì Sài Gòn trong thơ. Then and now: Saigon sandwiches in poetry. Lê Văn Nghĩa. Tuổi Trẻ. Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. 11 June 2017. 3 April 2018. vi. 8 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308141502/https://dulich.tuoitre.vn/du-lich/chuyen-xua-chuyen-nay-banh-mi-sai-gon-trong-tho-1329645.htm. live.
  15. News: Building on Layers of Tradition. Julia. Moskin. The New York Times. 7 April 2009. 9 April 2018. 28 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210428051248/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/dining/08banh.html. live.
  16. News: Bánh mì Hòa Mã 50 năm ở Sài Gòn. Hòa Mã bakery at 50 years in Saigon. Phong Vinh. VnExpress. FPT Group. 21 November 2015. 3 April 2018. vi. 9 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180709190020/https://dulich.vnexpress.net/tin-tuc/tu-van/am-thuc/banh-mi-hoa-ma-50-nam-o-sai-gon-3315493.html. live.
  17. 5 quán ăn lâu đời nhất Sài Gòn. The 5 oldest eateries in Saigon. Barcode. Indochine Media Ventures Vietnam. 8 August 2016. 3 April 2018. vi. 4 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180404134422/http://www.barcodemagazine.vn/explore/5-quan-an-lau-doi-nhat-sai-gon/. dead.
  18. News: Vào hẻm tìm ăn bánh mì cụ Lý. Searching the alleys for grandpa Lý's sandwiches. P.V.. Thanh Niên. Vietnam United Youth League. 5 June 2013. 3 April 2018. vi. 27 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210227100450/https://thanhnien.vn/doi-song/am-thuc/vao-hem-tim-an-banh-mi-cu-ly-751153.html. live.
  19. News: Xe bánh mì phá lấu 60 năm tại góc phố Sài Gòn. Ngôi sao. VnExpress. 8 August 2016. 3 April 2018. vi. 9 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180709154655/https://ngoisao.net/photo/an-gi/xe-banh-mi-pha-lau-60-nam-tai-goc-pho-sai-gon-3448926.html. live.
  20. News: Phở theo thời cuộc. Pho in the present day. Trịnh Quang Dũng. Báo Khoa Học Phổ Thông. Ho Chi Minh City Union of Science and Technology Associations. 22 January 2010. 22 May 2013. vi. 13 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130413040848/http://khoahocphothong.com.vn/news/detail/4157/100-nam-pho-viet.html. live.
  21. News: The Vietnamese Po-Boy. WWNO. 15 July 2010. 8 May 2012. 14 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140714145400/http://wwno.org/post/vietnamese-po-boy. live.
  22. Web site: Vietnamese Hoagies Now on the Menu . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151001214129/http://citypaper.net/articles/2006-07-20/food6.shtml . 1 October 2015 . dmy .
  23. Web site: An Viet House in de Beauvoir could become Asian community's answer to Jamie Oliver's training restaurant Fifteen . 27 February 2018 .
  24. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/banh+mi "Oxford English Dictionary
  25. Andy Bloxham. "Heart symbol enters Oxford English Dictionary". The Daily Telegraph, 24 March 2011.
  26. This Is America's Hottest Sandwich Right Now. Ian. Salisbury. Money. 20 July 2017. 15 April 2018. 1 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210701180421/https://money.com/banh-mi-americas-fastest-growing-sandwich/. live.
  27. Web site: Celebrating Banh Mi. Google. 24 March 2020. 24 March 2020. 24 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200324040957/http://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-banh-mi. live.
  28. The Marvel of Bánh Mì. Andrew. Lam. Andrew Lam. The Cairo Review of Global Affairs. American University in Cairo. 2015. 18. 64–71. 8 May 2017. 7 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170807233324/https://www.thecairoreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CR18-Lam.pdf. live.
  29. News: Chuyện kinh doanh bánh mì tại Little Saigon (kỳ 2). Tales of sandwich shop tales in Little Saigon (part 2). Ngọc Lan. Nguoi Viet Daily News. 10 May 2013. 10 April 2018. vi. 10 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180410203436/https://www.nguoi-viet.com/little-saigon/Chuyen-kinh-doanh-banh-mi-tai-Little-Saigon-ky-2-3842/. live.
  30. Andrea Nguyen. "Master Banh Mi Sandwich Recipe", Viet World Kitchen, retrieved 2010.04.03
  31. News: Saigon's Banh Mi. Robyn. Eckhardt. The Wall Street Journal. 30 July 2010. 3 August 2017. 9 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210309180225/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703578104575397030042789698. live.
  32. Web site: Bánh mì Sài Gòn ở Mỹ. baomoi.com. 2 December 2015. 19 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141219175823/http://www.baomoi.com/Banh-mi-Sai-Gon-o-My/84/3408653.epi. dead.
  33. http://vietnamnet.vn/vn/chinh-tri/tuanvietnam/93332/banh-mi--tau-ngam--sai-gon-nuc-tieng-the-gioi.html "Bánh mì Sài gòn nức tiếng thế giới"
  34. News: 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. Hội Trí thức Khoa học và Công nghệ Trẻ Việt Nam. 18 April 2013. 25 March 2014. vi. 30 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131230081111/http://afamily.vn/xem-an-choi/sai-gon-mua-ve-ve-tuoi-tho-voi-banh-mi-kep-kem-sieu-re-20130415064319684.chn. live.
  35. News: Bánh mì Việt Nam và hành trình chinh phục cả thế giới. Hương Giang. Người Lao động. 212. 10 September 2016. 3 April 2018. vi. 8 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308085505/http://tamlongvang.laodong.com.vn/the-gioi/banh-mi-viet-nam-va-hanh-trinh-chinh-phuc-ca-the-gioi-591142.bld. live.
  36. Web site: our story. Ba Le Sandwiches. en-US. 2019-04-09. 24 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190424103206/http://www.balesandwich.com/our-story. live.
  37. News: Jack vs. Martha: A Jack in the Box fast food showdown begins. Lori. Wiesberg. The San Diego Union-Tribune. 29 January 2018. 15 April 2018. 24 February 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210224143334/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/tourism/sd-fi-jack-martha-20180129-story.html. live.
  38. News: McDonald's Opens in Vietnam, Bringing Big Mac to Fans of Banh Mi. Mike. Ives. The New York Times. 7 February 2014. 15 April 2018. 12 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201112022747/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/08/business/international/mcdonalds-chooses-its-moment-in-vietnam.html. live.
  39. News: How Vietnam's Dining Habits Are Changing With International Brands. Brett. Davis. Forbes. 26 October 2016. 15 April 2018. 8 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308075529/https://www.forbes.com/sites/davisbrett/2016/10/27/how-vietnams-dining-habits-are-changing-with-international-brands/. live.