Homeland

Do you know what is the most popular, delicious, and diverse food in Vietnam? It is ‘banh mi’. Also called as ‘Vietnamese sandwiches’ by foreigners sometimes. This handheld meal can be found easily in almost every streets and restaurants with the price varies from 10,000 VND (0.8 Canadian) to 50,000 VND (3 Canadian)

If you know about French cuisine, you will find that ‘banh mi’ is the longest lasting influence of French to Vietnamese food. This kind of bread likes baguette which was introduced to Sai Gon city during the French colonial period and spread through the country from the South to the North. Nowadays, it is a beautiful combination of ingredients from French (baguettes, pate, and mayonnaise) with native Vietnamese ingredients (cucumber, pickled carrots, pepper, chili, and soy soup).

In different regions of Vietnam, banh mi has different taste according to different cultures. However, they share some commonalities. In a ‘traditional banh mi’, you may find steamed, pan-roasted or oven roasted pork belly, grilled port, liver pate, grilled chicken, canned sardines in tomato sauce, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce, or even simple as fried eggs with salt and pepper. And regardless of the style, it is loved by almost people because it is cheap and mobile, easy to take away in recycled paper.