Vietnam's banh mi named world's most delicious sandwich

Vietnam's banh mi named world's most delicious sandwich (Photo: tasteatlas.com)

Hanoi – Vietnamese banh mi (baguette) has been ranked first in the list of the top 100 sandwiches in the world by international food website Taste Atlas.

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.

Beside 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.

Quang Ninh introduces new "banh mi" to visitors A new kind of "banh mi" called "banh mi den" (black bread) in Quang Ninh province has caught much attention in recent time for its complete opposite colour to the regular golden yellow Vietnamese staple.

Four Vietnamese dishes named “Best food in the world” by CNN CNN has recently released a list of the world’s best food, encouraging visitors to try when they have the opportunity to travel in 2022. The following are the Vietnamese selections.