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Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
Aug 18, 2023
By Ms. Anh Thu
Banh Chung Vietnam is a must-have for Vietnamese people, especially at Lunar New Year or other important occasions. This is a special dish that international friends should try once when they pay a visit to the beautiful country. To deepen our understanding of this traditional sticky rice dish, read on to find out more!
Vietnamese Tet cuisine is known for its diversity among ethnic groups and regions, with dishes and processing methods influenced by geography, climate, and local specialties. The New Year's tray in the North region includes dishes such as frozen meat, boiled chicken, silk rolls, cinnamon rolls, banh chung, and bamboo shoot soup. The Central region includes pickles, tote cakes, and cakes, while the South region offers special dishes like bitter melon soup, braised meat with coconut water, melon, palanquin, and sausages.
Despite differences, Vietnamese New Year cuisine maintains unity. Blue and red are chosen as the main colors to represent luck and fortune, while the tray typically has 4 plates or 6 to 8 plates, symbolizing the four seasons or good fortune. The tray of rice on Tet is a symbol of affluence, fullness, and sincere heart.
At Tet, a feast laden with a variety of dishes will be prepared thoroughly. Frozen meat symbolizes the desire to connect people together, while spring rolls symbolize good fortune. Boiled chicken symbolizes a favorable beginning and happiness. Braised meat symbolizes success and success. Bamboo shoot soup, bitter melon soup, and watermelon are essential dishes in Vietnamese families during Tet, representing wealth, prosperity, and money. These are integral dishes on the Vietnamese feast, most notably Banh Chung, a square-shaped cake from ancient times, that symbolizes the squareness and peace of the land.
Tourists often ask:
What is Banh Chung Vietnam?
Why do Vietnamese people eat Banh Chung?
Is Banh Chung a Vietnamese traditional cake it is usually eaten on Tet holidays?
Here is the answer: Banh Chung or Chung Cake is a Vietnamese traditional dish, served on the Tet holiday. Sticky rice, pork, and green beans are used to make up a Chung cake, and they are all wrapped in a leaf called a dong that resembles a banana leaf. The elements stand in for the wet rice culture, plants, and animals, while the rounded form represents the earth.
For the Vietnamese people, every New Year to Spring, celebrating Tet by making Banh Chung with family and relatives is an essential part of what it means to be Vietnamese. Despite the long and tiring process, Vietnamese families still maintain this practice as it is a long-standing traditional value of the ancients. In addition to Tet-Lunar New Year, Banh Chung is served at many occasions and festivals in Vietnam such as Mid-Autumn,
Traditionally, Vietnamese families maintain the practice of wrapping banh chung every day before Tet. In addition, on March 10, the anniversary of Hung King's death anniversary every year, Vietnamese people often pack banh chung.
Banh Chung Vietnam originated in the Hong Bang Dynasty when the 6th Hung Emperor held a cooking contest for his 21 sons to find the one to inherit his position and sit on the throne. Lang Lieu, the poorest and loneliest son of Hung King, created two types of cakes called Banh Chung and Banh Day, inspired by a fairy's dream. On a spring day, Lang Lieu and his wife presented Banh Chung and Banh Day to the emperor, while other princes presented expensive and unusual dishes. Hung Emperor was impressed by the unique flavor of these cakes and asked about their meaning. Lieu explained that he had cooked glutinous rice into round rice cakes called Banh Day, symbolizing the sky, and a square rice cake stuffed with bean paste and ground meat called Banh Chung, symbolizing the earth. Lieu received the throne after Hung Emperor declared him the winner. During the Tet celebration, Banh Chung and Banh Day have become staple meals.
First, we should understand what does it mean by the word “cake”. When it comes to cake, Western people understand that it is a dessert made from flour, similar to a sponge cake or a birthday cake. If Vietnamese people call it “Chung Cake”, foreigners might think that this traditional dish is made from flour as well while it is made from sticky rice, pork, and mung bean.
With a view to helping international friends understand this Vietnamese traditional dish the right way, Vietnamese people should call it Banh Chung. However, so far, both terms “Banh Chung” and “Chung Cake” are used in daily life and are comprehensible.
Vietnamese Square Sticky Rice Cake requires simple and usual ingredients for Vietnamese people, namely long-grain sticky rice, split mung bean, pork belly, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. This time-consuming and collaborative process requires multiple people. The main ingredients are glutinous rice, pork meat, and green beans wrapped in bamboo leaves. The sticky rice should be soaked in water the day before, and the rice cake should be wrapped in a square shape. Boiling the cake in a wood-fired oven for 12 hours yields a nutritious and delicious Green Chung cake. Enjoy vegetable pickles for an unforgettable taste.
For Vietnamese people, the taste of Banh Chung is the taste of Tet, the taste of coziness and union. A good Banh Chung is a meaty, hefty, and square-shaped cake with a unique aroma and green color. Making it requires meticulous care, but the dong leaves and rich ingredients create a scrumptious taste. The filling of Banh Chung has the fleshy taste of green beans, the fat of pork, and the spicy aroma of onions and pepper. The fragrant sticky rice cake is covered with a green coat of dong leaves, the color of spring is full of life.
Banh Chung Vietnam is frequently eaten by Vietnamese people with sugar or molasses and vegetable pickles. It is challenging to consume all of the chung cakes in only one or two days because every household would make at least 5–6 of them during Tet. If you put a Banh Chung in the fridge, you can preserve it there for a month.
Vietnamese Tet sticky rice cakes (banh chung) are a popular dish for the Lunar New Year. They are delicious when cooked, refreshed, or warmed in the microwave oven. However, if you prefer not to cook the sticky rice cake, you can fry it into a pancake. This recipe is for homemade banh chung, which is roughly 5 inches square and 2 inches thick. To make the pancakes, cut the sticky rice cake into thick slices and set them aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and arrange half the slices in the skillet. Fry the slices undisturbed for about 6 minutes until the rice has softened. Press and mash the chunks to form a pancake. When the underside is crispy and golden, flip the pancake with a spatula. Increase the heat to medium-high and fry the other side, if necessary. It takes about 4 minutes for the other side to turn crispy and golden Serve the pancakes with a sprinkling of sugar or dip in sugar for a divine savory-sweet combination.
Banh Chung Vietnam is a must-try dish for your trip to Vietnam, which helps you have a giant insight into Vietnamese people, lifestyle, and culture. If you have a chance to visit Vietnam one day, do not forget to enjoy this traditional dish. Thank you for reading.
