bánh bò
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''Bánh bò'' (literally "cow cake" or "crawl cake") is a sweet, chewy
sponge cake Sponge cake is a light cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar, sometimes leavened with baking powder. Some sponge cakes do not contain egg yolks, like angel food cake, but most of them do. Sponge cakes, leavened with beaten eggs, originated ...
from
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. It is made from
rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening a ...
, water, sugar, and yeast, and has a
honeycomb A honeycomb is a mass of Triangular prismatic honeycomb#Hexagonal prismatic honeycomb, hexagonal prismatic Beeswax, wax cells built by honey bees in their beehive, nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen. beekeeping, Beekee ...
-like appearance (called ''rễ tre'', literally "bamboo roots," in Vietnamese) on the inside due to the presence of numerous small air bubbles.
Coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...
is also usually a part of the batter, imparting a slight flavor and aroma of coconut. The cake is of
Southern Chinese South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not ...
origin, although the Chinese version, called '' bái táng gāo'' ( ), does not contain coconut milk. ''Bánh bò'' are generally eaten as a dessert, although they may also be consumed as an accompaniment to a meal.


Etymology

In the
Vietnamese language Vietnamese ( vi, tiếng Việt, links=no) is an Austroasiatic languages, Austroasiatic language originating from Vietnam where it is the national language, national and official language. Vietnamese is spoken natively by over 70 million people, ...
, ' means "cake", and ' can either mean "cow" or "to crawl". According to the entry for "𤙭" (bò) in Paulus Huỳnh Tịnh Của's 1895 dictionary '' Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị'', the dessert is named for its resemblance to a cow's
udder An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep. An udder is equivalent to the breast in primates and elephantine pachyderms. The udder is a single mass han ...
, implying that the name was shortened from '. However, according to a popular
folk etymology Folk etymology (also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis, morphological reanalysis or etymological reinterpretation) is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more famili ...
, ' refers to how the cake "crawls" up to the rim of the bowl when steamed to completion. ' is to be distinguished from the less common '' bánh bó'' ("pressed cake"), a fruit cake found in Quảng Ngãi Province; ' ("cow", "beef") is pronounced with a falling tone, whereas ' ("pressed") has a rising tone.


Varieties

There are varieties of ''bánh bò'': *Bánh bò nướng () - This variety of ''bánh bò'' is cooked by baking in a pan in an oven. It is generally off-white or yellowish-white in color on the inside and golden on the outside by caramelized coconut milk. Individual cakes are often large in size, in which case a serving will consist of a slice rather than the whole cake.photo
/sup> This variety is definitely served alone. *Bánh bò hấp () is similar in appearance to the baked version. These cakes are often small in size, ball-shaped and cooked from the liquid. ''Bánh bò hấp'' may be white in color, green (by
Pandanus amaryllifolius ''Pandanus amaryllifolius'' is a tropical plant in the ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) genus, which is commonly known as pandan (; ). It has fragrant leaves which are used widely for flavouring in the cuisines of Southeast Asia and South Asia. Occurre ...
extract), pink or pale purple (by
magenta plant ''Dicliptera tinctoria'' is the accepted name of a species in the family Acanthaceae (previously described here as the synonyms '' Peristrophe bivalvis'' ( L.) Merr. and ''P. roxburghiana''). It may be called magenta plant, or lá cẩm in Vie ...
extract). There are three ways to serve this variety. Like ''bánh bò nướng'', it can be used alone. It can be put in the middle of '' bánh tiêu'' (Chinese hollow doughnuts) and served. Also, people enjoy them in a small dish with coconut milk sauce including
tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but wh ...
starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...
on top and a little bit ''muối mè'' or ''muối đậu phộng'' (literally: ''sesame salt'' and ''peanut salt'', respectively). ::Both traditional varieties are available in Vietnam as well as in Asian grocery stores in countries with substantial
overseas Vietnamese Overseas Vietnamese ( vi, người Việt hải ngoại, or ) refers to Vietnamese people who live outside Vietnam. There are approximately 5 million overseas Vietnamese, the largest community of whom live in the Vietnamese Americans, Unite ...
populations, such as the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. *Bánh bò sữa (nướng) () is a brand new variety of ''bánh bò'' appearing in the mid-2000s. Coconut milk, the official traditional ingredient is replaced by condensed milk or milk powder. The variety is cooked in a small pan. *Bánh bò dừa () is the latest variety of ''bánh bò'' appearing in the late 2000s. It is not generally recognized because it seems totally different from three above mainly from core ingredients. Core ingredients are wheat powder, hen eggs, baking soda, and obviously sweetened coconut. It tastes much leathery, seldom hard crispy and silky in the skin as opposed three above. In the middle, there is sweetened coconut with cooked
mung bean The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...
. The
Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
steamed rice cake called ''
idli Idli or idly () is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from the South India,popular as breakfast foods in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (de-husked) and ric ...
'' is similar in texture, although ''idli'' are never sweet. However, the dish is quite similar to the Vattayappam (a type of
appam Appam is a type of thin pancake originating from South India. It is made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk, traditionally cooked in an ''appachatti'', a deep pan similar in shape to a wok. It is common in the cusine of Kerala and Tam ...
from
Kerala, India Kerala ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
).


See also

*
White sugar sponge cake White sugar sponge cake (also called white sugar cake and white sugar pastry) is a type of Chinese pastry. It is made from rice flour, white sugar, water, and a leavening agent. While it is called a "cake", it is not served as a circular round ...
*
Idli Idli or idly () is a type of savoury rice cake, originating from the South India,popular as breakfast foods in Southern India and in Sri Lanka. The cakes are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils (de-husked) and ric ...
*
Bika ambon Bika ambon or golden cake or golden kuih bingka in Singapore, is an Indonesian dessert, made from ingredients such as tapioca flour, eggs, sugar, yeast and coconut milk. Bika ambon is generally sold in pandan and banana flavor, but today it ...


Notes and references


External links


Photo of a slice of ''bánh bò nướng''''Bánh bò nướng'' recipePhoto of green-colored ''bánh bò nướng''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banh Bo Foods containing coconut Vietnamese words and phrases Steamed foods Rice cakes Sponge cakes Bánh Yeast breads