Cơm hến

Cơm hến, whose name means baby basket clams rice, is a Vietnamese rice dish that originates in the city of Huế. It is made from cooked baby river mussels, also called basket clams, served with rice, peanuts, pork rinds, shrimp paste, chili paste, slices of starfruit and stems of the bạc hà plant. The dish is normally served together with the broth in which the mussels were cooked, and it is taken at room temperature rather than hot. The combination of a shellfish topping, rice, crunchy additions such as peanuts and pork rinds, and sharp seasonings such as shrimp paste, chili paste and starfruit gives the dish its distinct character. The source article is brief: it states the composition, the serving style and the city of origin, but it gives no date for the first appearance of the dish.