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

What to try: Visitors can order from a new food menu that includes banh mi sliders and piri piri chicken tenders. —Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 22 Mar. 2025

Then there’s banh mi, which literally translates to bread, but is most frequently used to refer to sandwiches traditionally assembled with a variety of pork products and pickled vegetables, then stuffed into a toasted baguette. —Christina Liao, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024

The sandwiches have banh mi’s traditional pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro, cucumber and jalapeño slices, and also a slathering of housemade Thai basil, sriracha or red curry aiolis. —Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 21 Mar. 2025

For breakfast and lunch, consider stopping by Elizabeth Street Café, a French-Vietnamese eatery serving up plates of ginger-chili oil dumplings and cajun fried oyster banh mi in a shaded garden courtyard. —Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for banh mi

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy