Street Food
Bruce Mackenzie
Bread- Banh Mi- Baguettes Bread and Banh Mi
The importance of bread in the formation of human societies cannot be overstated. From the western half of Asia, where wheat was domesticated, cultivation spread north and west, to Europe and North Africa. This in turn led to the formation of towns, as opposed to a nomadic lifestyle, and gave rise to increasingly sophisticated forms of societal organization. Similar developments occurred in eastern Asia, centred on rice, and in the Americas with maize. The sandwich first showed up in the 1880s, around the same time the expansion of French Indochina occurred.
Combined with a few other items – especially coffee, of which Vietnam produces some of the world’ s best, – the Vietnamese culinary scene began to change from this influence. Banh mi( which translates as wheat bread) was originally very simple, consisting of a loaf of French bread, a bit of butter, ham, or pâté, and was favored by the upper class, or those who wanted to act like they belonged there.
It remained this uncomplicated yet lofty snack until the middle of the 20th century, when a lot of things in Vietnam began to change in a big way. French rule ended in 1954, Vietnam was then in control of its destiny for the first time. Modifications and adjustments were made to everything from lifestyles, education and food( cuisine style and habits) wasn’ t far behind. Soon, banh mi was available on every street corner. Cheap, easy to make, and simple to carry, it was easily adaptable to a newly revitalized culture.
To spice things up a bit, the Vietnamese took the now-common French roll and added their own tastes and likes to it – cilantro, mayonnaise, chilies, and pickled veggies were thrown into the mix, plus pork, chicken and beef were added to the menus to provide a bit of variety. Don’ t forget – its popularity was a big deal in Vietnam at the time. In the years since banh mi has undergone an even more dramatic change, acting as somewhat of a middleman between the eastern and western cultures that are constantly influencing each other. As it has grown to become a staple of the Vietnamese diet, so has its versatility in satisfying all tastes. You can find banh mi breakfast sandwiches with scrambled eggs and onions, and sandwiches that contain jalapeno, pork belly, cheese, tofu, sardines, or meatballs. You can even find ice cream banh mi – literally a roll of bread with scoops of ice cream stuffed in the middle! As its popularity continues to grow, the banh mi and bread sandwich can be found in almost every major city in the world. Most have their own local variations to give it a bit of hometown flavour, but now you know – there’ s a lot more to it than just bread, meat, and veggies here in Vung Tau.
Bánh mì(/ ˈbæn ˌmiː /; Vietnamese pronunciation: [ ɓǎɲ mî ]) is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. The word is derived from bánh( bread) and mì( wheat, also spelled mỳ in northern Vietnam). Bread, or more specifically the baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period. The bread most commonly found in Vietnam is a single-serving baguette type roll, which is usually airier than its Western counterpart, with a thinner crust.
What makes a long Banh mi roll different to a traditional French baguette?
A baguette is a long thin loaf of French bread that is commonly made from basic lean dough( the dough, though not the shape, is defined by French law). It is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. A baguette has a diameter of about 5 or 6 centimetres( 2 or 2⅓ in) and a usual length of about 65 centimetres( 26 in), although a baguette can be up to a metre( 39 in) long. The baguette must weigh 250 grams( 8.75 ounces), batard 500 grams( 17.5 ounces) and ficelle 100 grams( 3.5 ounces). Baguettes, either relatively short single-serving size or cut from a longer loaf, are very often used for sandwiches, usually of the submarine sandwich type, but also Panini. They are often sliced and served with pâté or cheese. As part of the traditional continental breakfast in France, slices of baguette are spread with butter and jam and dunked in bowls of coffee or hot chocolate. In the United States, French bread loaves are sometimes split in half to make French bread pizza.
32 The MAG Vung Tau