Bánh bèo facts for kids
Small dishes of bánh bèo
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| Place of origin | Vietnam |
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| Region or state | Central Vietnam |
| Main ingredients | Rice flour and tapioca flour |
| Similar dishes | Chwee kueh |
Bánh bèo is a yummy Vietnamese dish that comes from Huế, a city in Central Vietnam. In English, its name means "water fern cakes." These tasty cakes are made from a mix of rice flour and tapioca flour.
Bánh bèo is a very popular street food in Vietnam. It usually includes a soft rice cake, dried shrimps, crunchy pork skin, scallion oil, and a special dipping sauce. People often eat it as a snack. But now, you can also find it in restaurants for lunch or dinner.
How to Enjoy Bánh Bèo
Bánh bèo is often served with nuoc mam. This is a clear sauce made from sugar, fish sauce, garlic, and Thai chili. Crunchy pork belly strips are also added to make the dish even more delicious.
There are different ways to eat bánh bèo across Vietnam. For example, in Quang Ngai, people top their bánh bèo with a mix of shrimp and pork paste. In Southern Vietnam, bánh bèo often has mashed mung bean on top. This makes it a bit sweeter, which is how people in the South like it.
Most of the time, bánh bèo comes in many small dishes. You can scoop the whole cake out of the dish with a spoon. Another way is to use chopsticks to gently push the bánh bèo off its round dish.
People often enjoy bánh bèo with drinks like green tea, black tea, or Vietnamese iced coffee. It tastes best when it's fresh!
What's in a Name?
The name of this dish, bánh bèo, is thought to come from its shape. It looks a lot like a duckweed plant, which is called bèo in Vietnamese. The word Bánh is a Vietnamese term that generally means "cake" or "pastry."
See also
In Spanish: Bánh bèo para niños
