The curious history of Banh Mi
Banh mi first entered Saigon in the 1860s through French soldiers during the French colonization with the name “baguette”. It soon spread down to Six Provinces of Southern Vietnam, the North, and finally across the whole country. The original French baguette had a thin and long shape, the crust was not crispy, and the core was thicker. Still, Vietnamese Banh mi usually has a fluffier texture and crispier crust than the French baguette due to the baking tools, ingredients, and techniques used.
During that period, the French living in Vietnam brought in their own foods as they disapproved and frowned upon local food and simultaneously disallowed locals to eat French food. Among the food imported included coffee, ham, pate, butter, and, of course, their baguettes. Sadly for the French, wheat could not be planted in Vietnam due to the tropical weather. This meant that bread had to be shipped in for a hefty price. Owing to its luxury status, bread was only served to the upper class or the French. The Vietnamese locals were deemed unworthy of eating the bread.
After the French left Vietnam in 1954, the European goods remained and flooded the markets in Saigon. For the first time, those stores of goods became accessible at prices everyone could afford, even the poor. This resulted in new local creations like Vietnamese coffee using canned condensed milk or banh mi using French bread.
The modern banh mi as we know it today is believed to be born in Saigon. It was only really shaped when the first banh mi stall was hailed from Hoa Ma by Mr. Hoa and Mrs. Tinh, credited as the first to create what we now call the “bánh mì.” Initially, the shop, whose full name is “Banh mi Hoa Ma,” served Western-style with bread and cold cuts on the plate, and the diners used knives and forks. But gradually, recognizing that not everyone had time to sit down and enjoy, the owners came up with an idea of sandwiching all the ingredients, typically meat, pork bologna, and pate, inside the bread so the customers could easily take it with them.
The 1970s witnessed the global spread of Vietnamese cuisine as millions of Vietnamese refugees fled the Vietnam War and formed their own community in major American and European cities after the fall of Saigon. Many of them opened small restaurants to serve their community as well as to continue to enjoy their hometown flavors.
From there to today, banh mi not only has become a fashionable food trend worldwide, but the word “banh mi” also was admitted into the Oxford English Dictionary, signifying a formal recognition and widespread appreciation around the world. Countless versions of banh mi can now be found in street vendors, bakeries, markets, food trucks, and restaurants almost anywhere over the globe.
The anatomy of Banh Mi
The last half of the 1950s saw the evolution of baguettes to flavor combinations that we know of today. Since the French left Vietnam, the bread changed to the local preferences. Banh mi defines itself as smaller, crunchier, and airier. The crust is thinner and flaky so that it breaks apart and delicious crumbles with each bite, while the inside has a soft fluffiness.
Banh mi is stuffed with a combination of meats, vegetables, and other condiments. A simple banh mi containing pate, grilled meat, sweet pickled veggies, fresh cucumber, and green herbs, fulfilled by each shop’s secret recipe, will definitely awaken your taste buds. It is an explosion of flavors, including salty, sweet, sour, spicy, crispy, chewy, and soft all at once. It is an incredibly balanced fusion with amazingly harmonious fillings. As soon as having the first bite, you will be surprised by the magically crispy crust and delighted by the throbbing, crunching sound in your mouth. After that, you will get the soft and moist feeling like a cotton cushion inside, but chewy and soaked in a rich sauce.
For variety, banh mi fillings can go beyond ham, with roasted pork, chicken or pork floss, fish patties, and basically whatever protein is available. Let’s have a look at the common ingredients that typically make up a banh mi:
- BREAD: airy, crispy Vietnamese baguette.
- PROTEIN: pork bologna, ham, other meats.
- VEGETABLES:fresh cucumber, pickled carrot & daikon.
- HERBS & SPICES:cilantro, sliced chilies, peppers.
- CONDIMENTS: pate, butter, mayonnaise, soy sauce, etc.
I’m not drooling. You are.
Banh mi is now easy to find anywhere in Vietnam, but to get an authentic banh mi in the US is not that simple. At PT Pho, we are confident to be the best restaurant chain in Arizona to deliver a real taste of delicious traditional Vietnamese banh mi. It is the perfect snack for any time of the day, easy to grab, and tasty to enjoy. So why wait to reward yourself with one of the most must-have traditional Vietnamese street food at PT Pho?
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