According to the online site, banh mi (pronounced 'bun mee') is a popular Vietnamese variety of sandwiches that share the same core ingredient - a baguette. The baguette was brought over to Vietnam during the colonial period, and nowadays it is one of the few happy legacies from the time.
The crusty bread, condiments, and meats are all a legacy of French and Chinese times, while cilantro, chili, and pickles reflect the Vietnamese taste for fresh vegetables and bright flavours. In the beginning, most banh mi sandwiches consisted of bread, meat, and seasonings, with no added vegetables.
Besides its most popular 'banh mi thit,' which separately made it to the ninth position in the TasteAtlas’ list, Vietnam has a wide range of 'banh mi' varieties, namely 'banh mi xiu mai' (filled with meatballs), 'banh mi cha ca' (filled with fishcake), 'banh mi heo quay' (filled with roasted pork), 'banh mi ga nuong' (filled with grilled chicken), 'banh mi op la' (filled with sunny-side egg), and others.
Other sandwiches included in TasteAtlas’ top ten are Tombik döner from Turkey; Shawarma from Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia; torta from Mexico; lobster roll from the U.S.; sandwich de lomo from Argentina; Montreal smoked meat from Canada; Mozzarella in carrozza from Italy; 'banh mi thit' from Vietnam; and Texas brisket sandwich from the US, among others.
This is not the first time the Vietnamese baguette has been named among the best sandwiches across the globe. It also made it to the world's dictionaries including Oxford, Cambridge, and Merriam-Webster, to name a few.
On March 15, 2024, readers of Taste Altas also ranked banh mi tenth among the world’s top 100 street foods.
