Black bánh mì with beef and cheese (Photo: VNA)Quang Ninh (VNA) - A new kind of "banh mi" called "banh mi den" (black bread) in Quang Ninh province has caught much attention in recent time for its complete opposite colour to the regular golden yellow Vietnamese staple.
The black "banh mi" was inspired by the land where it comes from, Quang Ninh, home to Vietnam's biggest coal reserve. The northern province is dubbed "the land of coal mines."
Nguyen Van Quyet, aco-founder of BAMIMO, shared that he came up with the idea of baking black bread from a story of Tran Khac Tuan,another co-founder of BAMIMO. He felt nostalgia for baguettes serving workersin coal mines.
“I go to the marketand purchase ink sacs from fresh cuttlefish. When the cuttlefish are stillfresh then the colour will be nice and pure black. It also doesn’t have a fishysmell.”
Here to match thecuttlefish ink used for colouring, seafood fillings are the order of the daysuch as crab and squid cakes.
It also comes with acombination of beef and cheese.
Customers can orderonline to get a taste of this sandwich, but many prefer to come inperson to experience it at the store.
“I was impressed withthe appearance of the banh mi which is totally black. Sotoday, my close friend and I came here to try other flavours.
The shop is located at No.28 Phu Gia 3 residential complex, Vinhomes Ben Doan, Ha Long town, Quang Ninh province. It opens from 6h30 am to 9 pm.
Banh mi is a favorite snack among both locals and tourists in Vietnam. A typical banh mi costs about 20,000 VND. Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post called Vietnamese banh mi "a cheap snack and global hit’, while British travel publication Culture Trip hailed it among the world’s best street snacks.
A typical banh mi is stuffed with anything from grilled pork, cold cuts and cucumber slices to cilantro, pickled carrots, liver paté, and a swipe of mayonnaise./.
