Seems like the sushi craze and cupcake craze are old news. The latest food trend? The “Banh mi craze.” As much as I love spicy tuna and icing, nothing quite satisfies like liver pate, BBQ pork and Sriracha sauce stuffed in warm baguette bread.
This French-influenced Vietnamese sandwich started in the Vietnamese immigrant community, but saw a rise in popularity when the Vietnamese Subway sandwich counterpart, Lee’s Sandwiches, set grounds for its empire in California. Now, banh mi can be found on the menu of pretty much any Vietnamese restaurant across the United States. Another banh mi franchise, Banhmibistro, has also recently established popularity among foreigners and locals in Vietnam.
Why the banh mi craze? First, I love the French baguette bread, which I always ask for toasted. Second, rather the mundane taste of turkey, I choose from a variety of Vietnamese fillings, like Vietnamese ham/pork roll (cha lua), tofu, pickled carrots and jalapeño peppers. Finally, topping it off with Asian-style condiments like Vietnamese homemade mayo and spicy Sriracha sauce are a must.
And it’s cheap, too, with prices ranging from $1.00-$4.00.
Forget Subway’s $5 foot-long, give me a banh mi instead.
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