The Anatomy Of A Banh Mi Sandwich

If you’ve been keeping up with the Vietnamese food scene, you know the banh mi sandwich is a cult classic that made its way to the national spotlight a few years ago. This sandwich is still enjoyed by many, proving it to be far more than a fad. People like it so much they even are adapting it to popular food trends, like the country’s obsession with sweets. According to The Daily Meal, a popular food truck recently replaced the bread for donuts.

While taking an online cooking course can help you learn the tenets of Vietnamese cuisine, here is a breakdown of the crowd-pleasing yet eclectic banh mi:

History
According to Viet World Kitchen, the sandwich had humble beginnings in the northern region of Vietnam as a bit of liver pate spread over a baguette.

Anatomy
Bread – The foundation of this sandwich should be a light and crispy baguette made from a mix of rice and wheat flour. The flavor of the bread should be present, but it shouldn’t overshadow the contents of the sandwich.

Vegetables – For crunch, many different vegetables are added to complement and play off each other. These include thinly sliced chili pepper, cucumber, cilantro and pickled carrot.

Protein – While a liver or chicken pate of some form is often in the sandwich, a complementary protein is also present. The classic version has Vietnamese salami, pork roll and other cold cuts. But you can also add roasted chicken, fried pork skin, grilled pork or tofu.

Condiments – A mayonnaise or butter is typically spread on the baguettes. Additionally, the sandwich can be topped with soy sauce.

There are many variations of this classic sandwich that can even adjust to meet the dietary limitations of vegetarians.

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