A pork banh mi at Le Petit Saigon in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Eat Drink Asia: Banh mi-where Vietnamese tradition and French colonialism collide
- While banh mi might look simple, there’s more to it than meets the eye
- The dish was born in a time when Vietnamese weren’t even allowed access to wheat flour, making it hard to imagine the sandwich would become world famous
A pork banh mi at Le Petit Saigon in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
On this episode of Eat Drink Asia, we take a closer look at an iconic Vietnamese dish that is also one of the world’s most popular sandwiches – banh mi. While the French baguette stuffed with Vietnamese ingredients might look simple, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
The dish was born in Vietnam’s colonial era, when locals weren’t allowed access to wheat flour, making it hard to imagine the sandwich would later become world famous. Since the 1970s, banh mi has been popular in faraway countries such as the United States and Australia.
Tune in to find out how different cultures influenced banh mi, why the sandwich tastes different across Vietnam, and how the country’s chefs make perfect baguettes in a country that’s known for its stifling humidity.
