According to CNN, traveling the world’s sandwiches is, in a way, like traveling the world.
A culinary remnant of French colonialism, the baguette sandwich was reinterpreted to their own taste by the Vietnamese. ‘Banh mi’ are now sold from food carts on nearly every street corner in Ho Chi Minh City and across Viet Nam and are widely loved well beyond the country’s borders.
The classic version is pork-based, starring ‘cha lua’ (Vietnamese-style pork roll), shredded pickled carrots, pickled daikon, cilantro leaves, mayonnaise and other ingredients.
Diners can also enjoy variations of ‘banh mi’ with tofu or thinly sliced lemongrass chicken. The flavour is crunchy, fresh, savoury and utterly delectable.
Vietnamese ‘banh mi’ is the sole representative from Southeast Asia on the list. Other entries in the top 25 include ‘pan bagnat’ – a sandwich originating from Nice in the South of France, ‘bocadillo de jamón Ibérico’ (bread with luxurious Iberian ham) from Spain, ‘torta ahogada’ (crusty bread with chopped pork and spicy sauce) from Mexico, ‘katsu sando’ (white milk bread with deep-fried pork cutlet) from Japan, and ‘choripán’ (sausage bread) from Argentina.
