The Baguette Revolution: Banh Mi, Num Pang, and a Thai Sandwich Challenge
A new Cambodian Num Pang counter in Bangkok sparked an idea to compare Southeast Asia’s three iconic sandwiches- the Num Pang, the Lao Khao Jee Pate, and of course, the Banh Mi. But a surprise rainstorm and some unexpected issues with filming caused the idea to change and expand in scope- covering the European history of baguettes, rebellions across the old French colonial empire, the story of sandwiches, and finally, an exploration of what might happen if the best Thai chefs made their own attempts at creating a Thai baguette masterpiece.
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0:00 – Introduction
1:10 – Fusion Food
5:17 – The Banh Mi
7:02 – Banh Mi History
11:43 – Dogs
12:57 – Baguettes Across the Empire
15:13 – Cambodian Num Pang
17:51 – Rain Part 1
18:56 – The History of the Sandwich
22:44 – Parisian Sandwiches
24:37 – The Austrian Origins
27:56 – Rain Part 2
29:18 – The Sandwich Takes Over
32:45 – Khao Jee Pate and Buying Bread
35:33 – Pad Kaprao and Satay Sandwiches
37:44 – Satay and Royal Thai Curry Sandwiches
40:26 – The Isaan Nam Tok Sandwich
42:53 – Chef Gaa’s Moo Krob Sandwich
45:31 – Conclusion
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Video Credits:
50 Comments
Ok…locations for this week:
1- Banh Mi: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kz9tZwmjYFybj2vJ6 (it's not the best Banh Mi I've had in the city, we'd never been here prior to filming- but Boris, who used to live in Vietnam, reports that their Pho is sensational.)
2- Num Pang Khmer: https://maps.app.goo.gl/uWo1njSJfERVmusG6
3- French Boulangerie: https://maps.app.goo.gl/QSLbBTwaWJMhHK4U7
4- Austrian Bakery: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6o4JKF8p7ycDfUPN6
5- Lao Khao Jee Pate: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fDbXXM9DuxCj7vGs6
6- Pad Thai Savoey (First Thai Sandwiches): https://maps.app.goo.gl/xkdfN18L6iFEuC7Q6
7- Kiew Kai Ka: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SF3JKR8gXguZksUbA
8- Boonlang: https://maps.app.goo.gl/oLm2qt7uDYrRgC3b7
9- Chef Gaa: https://maps.app.goo.gl/5kBh3EQ2ryMjWdhFA
Cheers all!
this proves to me my theory…hole in the wall places RULE! Every time you show a place like Chef Gaa or UncleTu they are an hour walk from the nearest BTS or MRT. Probably in off the beaten track places. If I add transportation costs to the meal I could get many amazing meals near by, plus drinks. I suggest you do like Bangkok Pat and have a side hustle of food tours where you provide the transportation 🙂 I agree, the baguette in Vientiane is superior. In Cambodia it's typically mundane…ok if you can get it FRESH baked but mostly you'l get it partially dried out, VERY blah. I've seen guys with big bags full of them and heavy condensation inside the bag. (it's so nice to see Daria out of those ratty blue jean cutoffs)
Seeing Chef Gaa's moo krob sandwich made me laugh out loud in delight. OH YEAH. I loved the last part of the video with all the different creations. Wow. Talk about challenging people to up their sandwich game!
I think it’s fair to say, any culture around the world with any kind of bread or bread type food, be it leavened or flat… has put something in it!
1.) Every Video: I don't believe you ate all that food in one day. 2.) Companion should have a microphone too.
"The Alternate History Sandwich Shop".
Num pang in Cambodia is the best. Several ingredients with the perfect combination of flavors that tastes like heaven.
I also eat sisig in tortillas as tacos or burritos because it make sense and feels like they should be together.
Every episode is a journey through a culinary encyclopedia ….priceless
I just found your videos and I love them. Awesome work!
❤Thank you for another great show!
Damn. This channel is going to piss off the believers that cultural appropriation is a bad thing
As a Vietnamese myself, baguettes are not just used in banh mi but also other dishes such as bo kho and ca ri ga (chicken curry) where it is dipped in
In north-eastern part of Thailand along mekong river and big city of those region, such as Sakonnakorn, Ubon Ratchathanee, Udonthani and Khon Kaen, these cities used to be US army bases during the Vietnam war. They have "Breakfast shops" which serves bite sized baguette filled with Vietnamese sausages, lap chang(Chinese sausages) and minced pork. Along with the so-called "kway chap yuan" (Vietnamese noodle) which is similar to Bahn Chan. And Eggs top with Chinese and Vietnamese sausages on a hot tiny pan (similar to American breakfast). This region had a lot of Vietnamese migrants which I think they carry their food with them and adapted to Thai ingredients and mixtures of American culture through the G.I. times. I personally think these kinds of "Breakfast shops" defined Thai's Sandwich and north-eastern breakfast during the cold war which is different from the central part of Thailand where a lot of new dishes emerged around that period too.
dam now i want yakisoba pan
I mean, if you have padkapao spread, you have a good sandwich.
Or Padgapao sloppy Joe…
The satay etc. sandwiches as local inventions presented at the table of a foreign tourist remind me of another kind of fusion food, which is combining local dishes in non-local ways. It can be argued that Hungarian frybread ("lángos") is a national food of Hungary. Lángos is usually had by locals with only a slight topping: garlic juice, sour cream, shredded cheese at best. Now, several Budapest sellers have invented combinations for the tourists, where they use the frybread for an edible plate, basically, to serve other iconic Hungarian dishes such as stuffed cabbage on. These tend to be really heavy for one person. Meanwhile, locals would rather have that stuffed cabbage on a plate, at home or a friend's home, made at home.
Hoi han is the capital of banh mi
Great video love your interest in food history!! What’s the song that plays around 25:10?
Next time go to Vietnam by land. Depending where you cross, banh mi can be more or less difficult to find, even when you're really craving one.
Really enjoying this episode. I've been searching for good bread, non-sweet, to do a serious New Orleans style Muffaletta in Bangkok. My friend in Hong Kong is also looking for good deli bread. Always we have these conservations online several times a year concerning breads. This episode just made me really hungry. Anyway, really enjoyed this episode.
for those curious, Num Pang, literally translates to bread in Khmer. “Pang” is actually just and pronounced the same as “Pain” meaning bread in French. 🇰🇭
Loved seeing how proud the chefs were of their "in the fly" sandwiches!
Some crazy geniuses in Chiang Mai took khao ji and has a pizza on it (marinara, mozz and some italian seasoning with a torch for melty cheese) for awhile in one of the popup markets. So simple yet so delicious.
Hi Adam, great documentary about the banh mi. I'm Vietnamese, born and raised with banh mi. To me, banh mi has been always there and obviously makes sense, I never thought it has a deep history when we go down the rabbit.
I must add that the Chinese Bao or Bao, in a sense, is the East equivalent of the baguette in the West. Bao is made of rice flour because East grows tons of it; Bao are for the people eat on the go; Bao can accommodate with any kinds of fillings (beef, pork, veggie, etc. etc) depending on the availability of local ingredients.
Could you imagine a world in which "the colonization went the otherway which the East colonized the West." I would betcha that we would have Bao mixed into Western Cuisine and we would have had Bao with cheese, and traditional Western fillings!
It's simple to eat, and when filled with water, it makes you full all day. But honestly, why not just cross the border and get some real Banh Mi, man.
Now you wonder is Thai food close to the last word in "fusion cuisine."
My father grew up in Da Lat, the old capitol of Vietnam and the most "French" place in all of Vietnam. Even today Da Lat is famous across Vietnam for its French food and its French bread. I visited Da Lat a good 15 years ago and had a banh mi — the singular version available on the menu — and it was the very first time I ever had a banh mi that resembled the ones my father would make at home: a French baguette with steak, sunny side up eggs, black pepper, and Maggi. To me, this is what a Vietnamese banh mi is. Everything else labeled as banh mi is "fusion" to me. 99% of what passes as Vietnamese food in the United States is either Chinese-Vietnamese food, Mekong Delta food, or bastardizations like "teriyaki tofu banh mi" sold to Americans. Labeling any of this as a matter of "authenticity" is overly reductive. But it's clear to see that the further a dish moves from its origins, the more it changes.
This video made me want a sandwich so bad I had to go to the nearest sandwich shop just to satisfy the suddenly intense craving lol
It took me a minute to appreciate your channel ('what, he is in just one city'?!) but now am a huge fan. It's easy to be blasé and sophisticated now with so much online, but I was introduced to Indian food by a coworker in the 1990's, and to Vietnamese Banh Mi by another co-worker about ten years ago, and have been so grateful for that ever since. Thanks for breakin' it all down for us, Adam!
In Thailand, pork satay is usually served with toast which goes well with peanut sauce. Thus, baguette should go well with pork satay and peanut sauce as well.
I'm 38 minutes in and no one yet has made the obvious choice of a som tum and sai oua banh mi. Really surprising
Banh Mi is life
my favorite dish when I visit Vietnam.
Love your videos and really appreciate the work you put into them. I am hungry now!
The fish flavour you were referring to in the Num Pang is tinned pilchards in tomato sauce. Very commonly spread on the bread before the other fillings
Much thanks 🙏🏻🙏🏻to OTR for their care and generosity of spirit, pointing me to all the links in the pinned comment – I was a fool to miss those! The passion and commitment you pour into each video is supremely admirable.
In Pattaya, Thailand there is a Vietnamese restaurant called JJ spring rolls. They do a mean Bahn Mi. Well worth the visit.
"WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING JUST KEEP FILMING" no truer words from a content creator has ever been spoken I can't count how many times the fact that I kept filming saved a video
I tried recreating Banh mi in the 90's with Manila street Barbecue, margarine, Atchara and bagette after having it for thr first time at the Vietnamese village in Palawan.i didn't even know what was called at the time
Like Thailand love Vietnam
If Thai-styled baguette sandwiches become part of the regular menu in Thai restaurants, then we will know who is responsible for this… 😁
I love the history and very enlightening knowledge. Thank you
I grow up Num pang in late 60 early 70 in Cambodia now in US miss Khmer style of sandwich street food.
I'm pretty sure the first person to invent the sandwich was some peasant who just thought that it was more convenient to put his bread, meat and veggies together and eat it with his hands instead of having to use plates and utensils.
Here in the Philippines, we have a different name for Bahn Mi; we call it "French Bread." The South Vietnamese, who fled the Vietnam War, introduced the dish, and if you visit Palawan, you'll notice a large number of restaurants known locally as "Chao-longan," which primarily serve Vietnamese cuisine.
Banh Mi the BEST !!! 🥖🥖🥖🥖😋😋😋😅😅
In Thailand
We don't break spaghetti in half.
We cook spicy "Ithailian"dish.
-Spaghetti pad kra pao
-Spaghetti pad kee mao
Cooking without borders.
As a french you can found really better banh mi
Your pronunciation of Banh Mi is atrociously American. Vietnamese has tonal changes. Try to duplicate the tonal changes if you don't want to sound like a primitive.