Cultural beauty of Cold Food Festival
Banh troi and banh chay - two seemingly simple cakes but containing many profound meanings on the Cold Food Festival. Banh troi with the image of round, soft balls, hidden inside is sweet sugar filling, symbolizing abundance and fulfillment. Banh chay is elegant, light with a thin, smooth crust, sweet green bean filling, representing the purification of the soul and the wish for a peaceful, serene life.
Perhaps, many people still think that the name banh troi, banh chay may originate from the way this cake is prepared. However, according to many documents on Vietnamese cuisine, its origin also contains a deeper meaning, associated with the legend of the Dragon and Fairy's Children.
Banh troi and banh chay - two seemingly simple cakes but containing many profound meanings on the Cold Food Festival.
Since the Hung King period, the custom of making Banh Troi and Banh Chay has appeared. These two types of cakes are considered as symbols of the legend of “the hundred-egg sac” of Au Co and Lac Long Quan. The hundred small cakes symbolize the hundred eggs of Au Co and Lac Long Quan. Banh Troi with its sweet sugar filling symbolizes the fifty children who followed mother Au Co to the forest. Banh Chay with its elegant appearance symbolizes the fifty children who followed father Lac Long Quan to the sea.
Banh troi and banh chay are not only delicious dishes but also have long-standing traditional cultural values. Every Cold Food Festival, Vietnamese people enjoy these cakes together to remember their national origins.
Along the streets, many shops sell banh troi and banh chay.
A place to preserve the traditional flavors of banh troi and banh chay
On the occasion of the Cold Food Festival, the ancient Hanoians often made banh chay and banh troi by hand to offer to their ancestors. Nowadays, although these cakes are sold all year round in many shops, Mr. Thanh’s family’s Che Muoi Sau shop is still a favorite destination for Hanoian gourmets.
Mr. Thanh's family's Muoi Sau sweet soup shop is a favorite destination for Hanoi's gourmet diners.
On the bustling Ngo Thi Nham street, Muoi Sau sweet soup shop has existed for more than 30 years, becoming a familiar destination for Hanoi people.
On the bustling Ngo Thi Nham street, Muoi Sau sweet soup shop has existed for more than 30 years, becoming a familiar destination for Hanoians. Not only crowded during the Cold Food Festival, the shop also attracts diners with the delicious flavors of its traditional sweet soups.
Each bowl of sweet soup here is cooked from carefully selected natural ingredients, bringing a refreshing, sweet taste. Black bean sweet soup is rich, green bean sweet soup is fragrant, lotus seed sweet soup is elegant, coconut sweet soup is rich... Each type of sweet soup has its own flavor that captivates diners.
Unlike many places that only sell banh troi and banh chay on the occasion of Han Thuc Festival, Che Muoi Sau shop serves this dish all year round.
However, the “bright star” of Muoi Sau Che shop is Banh Troi and Banh Chay. Unlike many places that only sell Banh Troi and Banh Chay on the occasion of Han Thuc Festival, Muoi Sau Che shop serves this dish all year round. On the days of Han Thuc Festival, the demand for this dish increases, so the shop has to increase the amount of ingredients many times. If on normal days, the shop only uses 5 kg of sticky rice flour to make the cake, then on the days of Han Thuc Festival, the amount of sticky rice flour increases to 50 kg or more.
According to the owner of Muoi Sau sweet soup shop, to have delicious cakes, choosing ingredients plays an extremely important role. The cakes are made from the purest, freshest ingredients, ensuring delicious flavor and preserving the essence of traditional dishes.
The cake is made from the purest, freshest ingredients, ensuring delicious flavor and preserving the essence of traditional dishes.
After selecting the ingredients, the process of shaping and cooking the cakes also requires meticulousness and care. Banh troi is shaped into small, round balls with a soft, chewy crust and sweet sugar filling inside. Banh chay has a thin, chewy crust, mixed with a rich green bean filling.
What makes the difference between the Banh Troi and Banh Chay at Muoi Sau restaurant is the traditional long-standing making technique. Banh Troi has the soft and chewy taste of the flour mixed with the sweetness of palm sugar, the warm spiciness of ginger and the richness of sesame. Meanwhile, Banh Chay is a harmonious combination of the soft and chewy dough, the fragrant aroma of mung beans and the smoothness of tapioca flour, full of pure traditional flavor.
What makes the difference of banh troi and banh chay at Muoi Sau restaurant is the long-standing traditional cake making technique.
On this year’s Cold Food Festival, the price of banh troi at Che Muoi Sau remains at 20,000 VND/plate and banh chay at 25,000 VND/cup, unchanged from normal days. This price is considered reasonable, suitable for many people’s budgets.
According to records, the number of customers buying banh chay at the shop on Han Thuc festival day increased compared to normal days. Each person usually buys 3-4 bowls of banh chay to burn incense to commemorate their ancestors and enjoy with their family. However, there are also customers who buy dozens of bowls to share with relatives and friends.
On this year's Cold Food Festival, the price of banh troi at Che Muoi Sau shop remains at 20,000 VND/plate and banh chay is 25,000 VND/cup, unchanged from normal days.
“The Muoi Sau Che shop is always bustling with customers. Although it is crowded, for me, this place is very familiar. Because since I was a child, I have enjoyed the delicious taste of banh troi and banh chay here. Every year on the Cold Food Festival, going to Muoi Sau shop to buy banh troi and banh chay for my family has become an indispensable habit of mine,” said Mr. Hoang Tung (Hai Ba Trung district, Hanoi).
It can be said that banh troi and banh chay at Muoi Sau restaurant are not only delicious dishes but also a part of Hanoi's culinary culture. Every time they enjoy this cake here, diners feel like they are going back in time to their childhood memories and feel the quintessence of traditional cuisine.
The number of customers buying banh chay at the shop on Han Thuc Festival increased compared to normal days.
Every time enjoying this cake here, diners feel like they are going back in time to their childhood memories and feel the quintessence of traditional cuisine.
