Bánh bò

Bánh bò

Bánh bò hấp (steamed bánh bò)
Type Sponge cake
Course Dessert
Place of origin Vietnam (see text)
Main ingredients Rice flour, water, sugar, yeast, coconut milk
  Media: Bánh bò
Bánh bò nướng (baked bánh bò)
Bánh bò màu (màu = colored)

Bánh bò is a sweet, chewy sponge cake from Vietnam.[1][2] It is made from rice flour, water, sugar, and yeast,[3] and has a honeycomb-like appearance on the inside due to the presence of numerous small air bubbles. Coconut milk is also usually a part of the batter, imparting a slight flavor and aroma of coconut. The cake is of Southern Chinese origin, although the Chinese version, called bái táng gāo (), does not contain coconut milk.[4] Bánh bò are generally eaten as a dessert, although they may also be consumed as an accompaniment to a meal.[5]

Etymology

In the Vietnamese language, bánh means "cake", and can either mean "cow" or "to crawl".[6] According to Paulus Huỳnh Tịnh Của's 1895 dictionary Đại Nam quốc âm tự vị, the dessert is named for its resemblance to a cow's udder,[7] implying that the name was shortened from bánh vú bò.[8] However, according to a popular folk etymology, refers to how the cake "crawls" up to the rim of the bowl when steamed to completion.[9]

Bánh bò 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:

Both traditional varieties are available in Vietnam as well as in Asian grocery stores in countries with susbstantial overseas Vietnamese populations, such as the United States and France.

The South Indian steamed rice cake called idli is similar in texture, although idli are never sweet. However, the dish is quite similar to the Vattayappam (a type of appam from Kerala, India.)

See also

Notes and references

  1. Thanh Nien Weekly print edition August 26, 2011 Rural cakes awaken the child within "Bánh bò (literally "cow cake") is a sweet and chewy sponge cake. It is made from rice flour, water, sugar and yeast."
  2. T. H. Yellowdawn - Fermented Foods: Naturally Enzymatic Therapy 2008- Page 279 "Steamed Rice flour cake Steamed Rolls (Bánh Cuốn), Rice powder pudding (Bánh Ðúc) Rice duckweed (Bánh Bèo) Fermented sweet cow-skin cake (Bánh Bò)"
  3. Baking powder is sometimes substituted for the yeast.
  4. The Chinese version, called bai tang gao (; pinyin: bái táng gāo; Cantonese: baak6 tong2 gou1; literally "white sugar cake," is always white and is often slightly sour in taste due to the fermentation of the batter before cooking. The Vietnamese version should not have any sourness.
  5. Andrea Nguyen Into the Vietnamese Kitchen" p291 "bánh bò"
  6. "Definition of 'bò' in Vietnamese - English dictionary". Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  7. Huình-Tịnh Paulus Của (1895). "𤙭 Bò". Đại Nam Quấc Âm Tự Vị (in Vietnamese) 1. Saigon: Imprimerie Rey, Curiol, & Compagnie. p. 61.
  8. Lê Trung Hoa (October 19, 2013). "Bánh không cẳng sao gọi bánh bò?" [Why is a cake without shanks called crawling cake?]. Tuổi Trẻ (in Vietnamese). Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  9. Phương Lam (September 14, 2011). "Bánh bò – chút quà miền Nam" [Bánh bò – a little treat from the South]. Lao Động (in Vietnamese) (Vietnam General Confederation of Labour). Retrieved March 24, 2014.

External links

Look up bánh bò in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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