Bánh bò
Bánh bò (literally "cow cake" or "crawl cake") is a sweet, chewy sponge cake from Vietnam. It is made from rice flour, water, sugar, and yeast, and has a honeycomb-like appearance (called "rễ tre", literally "bamboo roots," in Vietnamese) 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" (白糖糕), 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, ' 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 quốc âm tự vị", the dessert is named for its resemblance to a cow's udder, implying that the name was shortened from '. However, according to a popular folk etymology, ' 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": The 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).