Every spring comes, around the streets are always full of red peach blossom and yellow of the apricot blossom. In the house, everything is beautifully decorated to welcome the spring, and one of the indispensable items on the family worship as well as the tray of rice on the festival is the Chung cake.The only type of cake with a long history in traditional Vietnamese cuisine is repeatedly mentioned.
The origin of Chung cake can be traced to Hong Bang Dynasty – when the 6th Hung Emperor ruled the land. Sadly thinking he was too old to lead the country, Hung Emperor wanted to find the one to inherit his position and sit on the throne. Therefore, he held a cooking contest for his 21 sons, and who could fully satisfy his taste would be the winner. From the really long time ago, Chung cake has become Hanoi traditional food as well as in other parts of Vietnam.
Chung cake today
Chung cake can be served as it is or fried to make ‘Banh Chung Ran’ – a delicious for such cold February in Vietnam. In some other regions, especially the Southern part of Vietnam, Chung cake can be wrap in a cylindrical shape with same ingredients, called ’Banh Tet’.
A similar one to Banh Tet is ‘Banh Tay’ or ‘Banh Chung Dai’ (Long Banh Chung), served solely in the North with mung bean and little or no pork, hence, can be preserved for a longer period. There are also many variations of Banh Chung according to regions, religions, and likings such as Banh Chung Gu (Humped Banh Chung) of San Diu people, Banh Chung Chay (Vegetarian Banh Chung) for vegetarians and Buddhists, Banh Chung Ngot (Sweetened Banh Chung), etc.
If this is your first time to visit Vietnam, Hanoi local food tours or cooking class in Hanoi is the best choice for you. The tour guide will help you to find out good places for Chung cake, and useful information of culinary culture in Vietnam.
Chung cake in Vietnam traditional context
In the traditional context, the process of making Chung cake is an occasion for Vietnamese family members to get together. Sitting around the warm fire, talking and telling each other past stories, they get ready for a New Year with lots of good wishes. Although nowadays, not many Vietnamese families keep this habit anymore, Banh Chung is still an irreplaceable dish of Vietnamese ancestor altar on the occasion of Tet. It is the evidence of the Vietnamese loyalty and great gratitude to their ancestors.
Today, although the industrialization and modernization are developing with the level of dizzy, the package of rice cake on Tet festival is still a lot of family values. The moment the whole family gathering on the tray of rice on a New Year’s Day with a plate of Green Banh Chung has been and will always be in the minds of many Vietnamese people.