1

A fusion of French and Vietnamese

flavour wrapped up in a neat package.

T

he banh mi is so much more than a sandwich.

It’s cross-cultural pollination and conflict,

crunch and squish, fire and fragrance all in a

handy handful. Its story begins when the French

arrived in Saigon in the late 19th century, bringing their

bread with them. Locals eventually tweaked and ran with

it, adding familiar flavours in an example of fusion at its

best. In Australia, as Vietnamese bakeries selling rolls

filled with lunch meats, pâté, pickles, coriander, chilli

and spring onion became fixtures, variations appeared

• tinned tuna giving it a salad-sandwich lean, or bacon
  and eggs upgrading the tradies’ breakfast staple. We’ll
  take them any way we can. Just don’t fancy up the bread.

Banh mi

Find

one

“In my eyes, banh mi is up there with the sandwiches of

the world. It’s the perfect balance of richness, acidity,

texture, freshness and spice. In short, everything you

could ever want in a sandwich.” – Dan Hong inMr Hong.

Join the queue at hole-in-the-wall

Marrickville Pork Roll in Sydney, where a

banh mi will set you back just five bucks.

In Melbourne, Bun Bun in Springvale is

revered for its barbecue pork rolls.

THE SAUCE

Mayonnaise and a thick smear

of pâté – usually chicken liver

and pork – line the roll. Then a

soy-based dressing (shops mix

their own, often including fish

sauce and garlic) ties all the

flavours together. A splash of

Maggi seasoning is common,

and sriracha is always welcome.

THE BREAD

As with burgers,

any attempt to

fancy-up the bread

detracts from the

banh mi’s ephemeral

beauty. The crunch

and fluffiness of the

classic Vietnamese

baguette, a legacy

of the French

occupation of

Vietnam, is what

you need here.

THE FRESHNESS

The flavour of South

East Asia comes

through loud and clear

in the coriander and

spring onion packed

along a banh mi’s length.

And the only answer

when you’re asked if

you’d like chilli is, of

course, “yes”.

THE MEATS

Common inclusions for a

pork banh mi are slices of

cha lua, a steamed pork roll,

among other types of thit

nguoi, or Vietnamese cold

cuts. Grilled or roast pork,

nem (cured pork), and gio

thu, Vietnam’s answer to

brawn (aka headcheese)

can also feature. You’ll often

see shredded chicken, too.

THE CRUNCH

Do chua – julienned

carrot and daikon

pickled in sugar, salt and

vinegar – and long

slices of fresh cucumber

add sweet, cooling

crunch to help balance

all that meatiness.

42 GOURMET TRAVELLER

Anatomy of a dish

WORDS HARRIET DAVIDSON. PHOTOGRAPHY BEN HANSEN. STYLING RHIANNE CONTRERAS. ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN