Banh Mi, A Vietnamese National Treasure

GUEST POST: Mike is currently traveling through Southeast Asia and shares his experiences with one Vietnam’s most popular and iconic dishes, the banh mi.

What is Banh Mi?

Banh mi dates from the French colonial period and is perhaps one of the original fusion foods of Vietnam. It literally means ‘wheat cake’ but it’s now come to mean a type of sandwich – with an extensive range of ingredients from both Vietnamese and French cuisine.

And no trip to Vietnam would be complete without indulging in several.

A ‘banh mi baguette’ can be picked up for just 10 cents from any baker. As it’s baked from a combination of rice and wheat flour, it’s lighter and has a thinner crust than bread found in the West. So it’s like a guilt-free visit to the baker!

You can grab banh mi easily in Vietnam and make your own sandwiches at home; however, the baguettes age quickly – within a few hours they lose their vitality and begin to harden. They must be eaten freshly…