Vietnamese bread is one of Australia's favourite lunch options. (Photo: Isabella Michie/ABC Radio National)
Australian news outlet ABC News recently published an article exploring why Vietnamese bread (banh mi), with its tangy pickled vegetables, pate and mayo, fresh coriander, chilies, and generous protein filling has become an Aussie obsession.
The article noted that the delicacy was first created in Vietnam after the arrival of French colonialists who brought with them their unique style of bread.
"The bánh mì literally is just the name for the baguette. And that particular baguette is not like a French baguette, but it's a fluffier and lighter version, and that has to do with climate," Dr Anh Nguyen Austen tells ABC Radio National's Sunday Extra.
According to ABC News, the 1980s witnessed a rise of small Vietnamese businesses in Australia, with those migrating Down Under arriving armed with strong business acumen.
Business owner Jasmine Dinh's family settled in Bankstown in Sydney's south-west in the seventies. They opened the first banh mi (bread) shop in 1988.
Vietnamese bread quickly rose in popularity due to its affordability and convenience, the article wrote.
The demand for banh mi extends to regional Australia, with country dwellers now enjoying an additional option on top of the standard fish and chip shop, it added.
