Vietnamese bread continues to be honored on the international culinary map

Vietnamese bread covers every street corner from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi to the provinces, and conquers global diners thanks to the harmonious combination of rich fillings and characteristic crispy crust.

Bread with pate and cold cuts. (Photo: VNA)

For the second time this year, Vietnamese bread was honored by CNN as one of the best sandwiches in the world .

Recently, on November 15, CNN Travel continued to include Vietnamese banh mi in the list of 25 best sandwiches in the world, affirming that this street food is increasingly conquering global diners.

CNN Travel announced a new ranking; in which Vietnamese bread ranked second, with the comment: "As a culinary heritage from the French colonial period, the baguette has been transformed by the Vietnamese in their own way."

This is also the second time this year that CNN has honored Vietnamese banh mi, after ranking it in the top 10 best sandwiches in the world in June.

According to CNN Travel, Vietnamese bread covers every street corner from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi to provinces and cities, and conquers global diners thanks to the harmonious combination of rich fillings and characteristic crispy crust.

The traditional version includes pork, ham, pickles, herbs and a signature sauce, creating an addictive sweet and salty taste. Many other variations such as chicken sandwiches and vegetarian sandwiches also contribute to the diversity.

In CNN's list for November, Vietnamese banh mi was ranked alongside many world-famous sandwiches such as: Katsu sando (Japan), Torta ahogada (Mexico), Tramezzino (Italy), Shawarma (Middle East) or Muffaletta (USA), continuing to affirm the position of Vietnamese cuisine on the international map.

Vietnamese bread continues to be ranked among the best sandwiches in the world. (Source: VNA)

Banh mi has been honored many times on the world culinary map. In 2024, the traditional food review site TasteAtlas ranked Vietnamese banh mi at the top of the list of 100 best sandwiches. This site also included banh mi in the list of top 50 Asian street foods, showing the strong appeal of this popular dish.

International recognition was achieved on March 24, 2011, when the word "banh mi" was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford's definition is: "A Vietnamese snack consisting of a baguette (usually baked from both rice and wheat flour), sandwiched with various ingredients, often meat, pickled vegetables, and chili." Meanwhile, Cambridge Dictionary defines it more succinctly: "Banh mi is a long sandwich popular in Vietnam."

These definitions reinforce the world's view that banh mi is a sandwich that is deeply Vietnamese.

Vietnamese sandwiches - a familiar street food in all parts of the country, continue to amaze and fascinate foreign diners with the perfect blend of Western cuisine with Vietnamese flavors.

The French may have introduced the baguette to Vietnam, but the famous banh mi is a uniquely Vietnamese creation.

The ingredients of Vietnamese bread are very diverse. Depending on each region, area, and locality, Vietnamese bread will have different ingredients and processing methods.

The original Vietnamese sandwich was only stuffed with meat and some spices, without any vegetables. However, today, with the endless possibilities of variation, Vietnamese sandwiches are also stuffed with cold cuts, French butter, fresh mayonnaise, liver pate, cucumber, coriander, pickles, oyster sauce, garlic.

The bread must be light, with a thin crust while the inside is soft and chewy, with a hint of sweetness. The ingredients for the bread filling are very diverse, from the most basic things that must be included such as pate, eggs, sausage, Chinese sausage, char siu... to ingredients that seem incompatible but are very tasty such as potato spring rolls, beef, and even... ice cream.

Vietnamese bread conquers diners worldwide thanks to the harmonious combination of rich fillings and characteristic crispy crust.

Not only beautiful in appearance, the taste of Vietnamese sandwiches is the impressive attraction for diners. It is the hot and crispy crust on the outside, the richness of the meat inside and the unique sour taste of fresh vegetables or mixed salad. Simple but harmonious in every detail, not lacking nor excessive, that is the characteristic of Vietnamese cuisine that makes foreigners fascinated.

Saigon sandwiches are filled with sweet and crispy meatballs; Da Nang sandwiches are filled with fragrant fish cakes; Hanoi sandwiches are filled with fatty pieces of meatballs and pate that melt in each bite.

In the cold season, people often sip a cup of hot tea with a fragrant grilled skewer sandwich. Sandwiches are a popular and affordable dish that can be found on every street and in small alleys, from sandwich carts to large stores in major cities of Vietnam.

This is a popular, easy to find, convenient and reasonably priced fast food that every Vietnamese person and tourist loves to enjoy.

VNA

Source: https://nhandan.vn/banh-mi-viet-nam-tiep-tuc-duoc-vinh-danh-tren-ban-do-am-thuc-quoc-te-post924139.html