Hanoi (VNA) – It is simple, relativelybalanced, inexpensive and, above all, tasty, ‘banh mi’, a Vietnamese-style sandwich,is a strong rival of the American burger, France’s daily newspaper LeMonde told its readers in a gastronomy column published last week.

It is based on a simple base that you immediately want tobite into: a baguette cut in half, copiously garnished with pieces of cookedmeat, garnished with condiments, raw vegetables and sprinkled with freshcilantro, described the column entitled “Can the ‘banh mi’ replace the burger?”

The ‘banh mi’ is a sandwich with variable geometry thatoffers multiple possibilities, it said. The most traditional recipes includepreparations made from pork belly (sometimes grilled, sometimes dried orsteamed), lemongrass chicken or minced pork meatballs.

The most elaborate, also called "dac biet" (housespecialty), offers a range of flavors ranging from ‘cha lua’ (Vietnamese pork sausage)to paté, rolled pork belly, Le Monde continued, adding that the significantamount of vegetables it contains, including carrots, cucumbers, make itsnutritional value relatively acceptable.

The trajectory of the ‘banh mi’ is fascinating that ittells the richness and the character of Vietnamese cuisine which, through thediaspora scattered all over the world, in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Nice orMarseille, has never stopped reinventing itself, the newspaper noted./.