Bánh mì

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Bánh mì (pronounced "bun me"), sometimes also referred to as a "Vietnamese hoagie", is a Vietnamese submarine sandwich, made with a French-inspired baguette. It is made up of thinly sliced, pickled carrots, daikon, onions, cilantro, choice of barbecued pork, paté, chicken and other meats. The contrasting flavors and textures of the sandwich — as well as its relatively low cost — make it a popular dish.

Contents

1 Availability
2 Ingredients
3 Retailers
4 See also
5 External links

Availability

The sandwich can be found in small bánh mì shops around the world: in Ho Chi Minh City and throughout Vietnam; in the 13th district of Paris; and in Vietnamese American communities such as Little Saigon (Westminster, California), San Diego, New York City, Philadelphia, Houston, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, and San Francisco. They are also sold in tiny mom-and-pop shops in major Chinatowns, which are sometimes owned by Chinese Vietnamese immigrants. In Sydney, New South Wales, Australia the sandwich can be purchased throughout the suburbs in several small bakeries/cake shops with Vietnamese owners.

Ingredients

The ingredients in a vietnamese sandwich vary most notably in their meat selections. The most common varieties are bánh mì gà made with chicken, banh mi trung with scrambled egg, bánh mì bì made with shredded pork skin and roasted rice powder, bánh mì thịt nướng made with grilled pork, bánh mì xíu mại made with juicy crushed pork meatballs, with the most popular bánh mì dāc bịêt or the special combo which comprises of all the ingredients. Also occasionally available is bánh mì chay, a vegetarian option, usually made with tofu or textured vegetable protein. Although, the most common is made with Chinese barbeque pork, sliced pork roll, and pickled vegetables consisting of carrot and radish. Also added are jalapenos and pate. Another popular option is the breakfast Banh Mi, either with fried scrambled eggs wrapped within, or the more popular version eaten 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.

Retailers

Bánh mì is generally served in small shops and at some pho noodle eateries. Chains offering bánh mì in California include Ba-Le Sandwiches, Lee's Sandwiches, and Saigon Sandwiches. Several modern chains offer traditional Vietnamese banh mi and Western-style baguette sandwiches. Mr. Baguette, a popular bánh mì café located in the Los Angeles suburb of Rosemead, California, is planning to expand to other areas in California. Bánh mì was featured in San Jose in the 2002 PBS documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like.

External links

has more about this subject:

[Vietnamese Sandwiches in NYC] - A listing of NYC bánh mì places.