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A bánh bèo (literally "water fern cake") is a variety of small steamed rice cake or rice pancake in Vietnamese cuisine. It is white in color and typically features a dimple in the center, which is filled with savory ingredients including chopped dried or fresh shrimp, scallions, mung bean paste, crispy fried shallots, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and oil. It is considered most typical of the cuisine of Huế, the ancient royal capital located in the center of Vietnam.
Etymology
The dish's name is believed to derive from the fact that it is shaped like a duckweed (bèo in Vietnamese). Bánh is a Vietnamese term translating loosely as "cake."
In modern Vietnamese, because of its soft, rubbery texture, bánh bèo is used as a slang for Vietnamese girls who are portrayed as overly feminine, weak-willed and high maintenance.