United Tastes of America Explores the Bánh Mì

Ma Peche's Bahn Mi

Step away from the Subway. Jeffrey Saad explores the greatest things to happen to sandwiches since sliced bread, tonight on United Tastes of America.

Torpedoes, heroes, or hoagies; Italians, grinders, or po' boys. Call them what you like -- submarine sandwiches are the perfect American food, many with with immigrant roots. One recent addition to the menu is the Bánh mì.

The Bánh mì dates back to colonial times and is composed of Vietnamese ingredients on a French baguette. The combination of baguette, meat, pickled carrots and hot peppers results in a crispy, sweet sandwich with a bit of heat. The affordability of the Bánh mì makes it a popular lunch pick, but Jeffrey explores a high-end version of this humble sandwich.

Má Pêche, David Chang's midtown Manhattan restaurant, is serving their take of the Bánh mì created by Má Pêche’s executive chef Tien Ho, complete with homemade terrines of ham, liver, and mortadella. They didn't forget the cucumbers or pickled carrots, and added some pickled daikons in the mix as well. But the real focus, Jeffrey says, is on the bread. Perfectly crispy.

“Everything inside the sandwich is made in house -- from the pate to the mortadella -- and we only use ingredients from farmers with sustainable and responsible practices,” executive chef Tien Ho said.

Tune in tonight as Jeffrey explores the Bánh mì, finds the perfect Italian sub, and tries a deep-fried po' boy.

Watch United Tastes of America, tonight at 9:30 p.m.

What's your favorite sandwich?

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