banh mi

noun

ˈbän-ˈmē 

plural banh mi also banh mis

: a usually spicy sandwich in Vietnamese cuisine consisting of a split baguette filled typically with meat (such as pork or chicken) and pickled vegetables (such as carrot and daikon) and garnished with cilantro and often cucumbers

Here we have the original banh mi—a reliable favourite on a classic crusty baguette. Cold cut-style pork belly, chicken liver pâté (you can sub in avocado if that's more your thing), and soy-based Vietnamese sausage are finished with pickled carrots and daikon … , cucumbers, cilantro, aïoli and special sauce.

—Liza Agrba

In Queen Anne, the Vietnamese coffee shop Queen Càphê serves banh mis and spring rolls.

—Tan Vinh

Examples of banh mi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Miles of strip malls offer thrilling meals from all over the world: taco shops; dim-sum palaces; Indian and Pakistani banquet halls; Vietnamese restaurants that specialize in banh mi, or pho, or borrow Cajun traditions like crawfish boils. —Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

If the banh mi with housemade chips is available, get it. —Becky Bartkowski, The Arizona Republic, 25 Nov. 2024

Another Vietnamese staple is banh mi, a crusty baguette typically filled with pork or chicken, pate, and pickled carrot and daikon radish. —Catherine Garcia, theweek, 11 Nov. 2024

Besides a vegetarian risotto, the entrees are burgers and sandwiches, including Colorado lamb sliders and a banh mi turkey burger. —Gary Stoller, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Vietnamese bánh mì, literally, "bread, baguette," from bánh "cake, pastry" + mì "wheat"

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above