Banh mi's history: What you didn't know about the sandwich.

Watch Joe take a small excursion into the history of banh mi in this video:

In his hands Joe holds the raw banh mi bread. “Let me tell you a little something about banh mi”, Joe begins. “Banh mi” is Vietnamese for pastry, bread. The authentic banh mi is made of rice flour, because in Vietnam the only flour that exists is rice flour. The only other ingredients besides rice flour are water, salt, and a pinch of sugar. The banh mi bread Joe uses is baked by – to be honest, he says, jokingly – a Turkish bakery. This bakery adjusts the bread especially for him.

Banh mi has its origins in French colonialism when the Vietnamese people started to eat the typically French baguette. After the French rule ended in 1952 the Vietnamese people started to adjust the baguette to fit in the typical Vietnamese cuisine, for example to exchange butter with mayonnaise, add cilantro and fermented ingredients such as carrots and onions. Soon after, the banh mi was invented.

The French brought it to us, Joe says. We took it and refined it. In 1975 millions of Vietnamese fled from the Vietnam War, and as they came to Europe or America, they brought with them – among other cultural assets – the banh mi.

Nowadays, you can find banh mi in every major city all over the world. Banh mi is not an insiders’ tip anymore. In Vienna by now, there are several small restaurants and snack bars that offer banh mi. Still, to make sure to get the best banh mi, Joe says with a smile, you should know where to go.

If you want to know how Joe prepares the banh mi and how you can prepare it yourself read the article:  How you can make the perfect banh mi sandwich.