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The cultural beauty of the Cold Food Festival.
Sticky rice balls (Bánh trôi) and vegetarian rice balls (Bánh chay) – two seemingly simple dishes, yet they hold profound meaning during the Cold Food Festival (Tết Hàn thực). Sticky rice balls, with their round, soft, and chewy shape and sweet sugar filling, symbolize abundance and fulfillment. Vegetarian rice balls, with their delicate, thin wrappers and sweet mung bean filling, represent purification of the soul and a wish for a peaceful and tranquil life.
Perhaps many people still think that the names "bánh trôi" or "bánh chay" originate from the way this dish is prepared. However, according to many documents on Vietnamese cuisine, its origin holds a deeper meaning, linked to the legend of the Dragon and the Immortal.
Sticky rice dumplings and vegetarian dumplings – two seemingly simple dishes, yet they hold profound significance during the Cold Food Festival.
Since the time of the Hung Kings, the custom of making glutinous rice balls (bánh trôi) and vegetarian rice cakes (bánh chay) has existed. These two types of cakes are considered symbols of the legend of Âu Cơ and Lạc Long Quân's "hundred eggs." The hundred small cakes represent Âu Cơ and Lạc Long Quân's hundred eggs. The glutinous rice balls, with their sweet sugar filling, symbolize the fifty children who followed their mother Âu Cơ to the forest. The vegetarian rice cakes, with their elegant appearance, symbolize the fifty children who followed their father Lạc Long Quân to the sea.
Sticky rice dumplings (Bánh trôi, Bánh chay) are not only delicious dishes but also carry long-standing cultural and traditional value. Every year during the Cold Food Festival (Tết Hàn Thực), Vietnamese people gather to enjoy these dumplings to remember their national origins.
Along the streets, many stalls are selling glutinous rice balls and vegetarian cakes.
A place that preserves the traditional flavors of glutinous rice dumplings and vegetarian cakes.
On the occasion of the Cold Food Festival (Tết Hàn Thực), people in Hanoi traditionally made vegetarian cakes and glutinous rice balls by hand to offer to their ancestors. Nowadays, although these cakes are sold year-round in many shops, Mr. Thanh's Mười Sáu dessert shop remains a favorite destination for discerning diners in Hanoi.
Mr. Thanh's family's Mười Sáu dessert shop is a favorite destination for discerning diners in Hanoi.
Located on the bustling Ngo Thi Nham street, the Muoi Sau tea shop has been around for over 30 years, becoming a familiar destination for Hanoi residents.
Located on the bustling Ngo Thi Nham street, the Muoi Sau dessert shop has been around for over 30 years, becoming a familiar destination for Hanoi residents. Not only is it crowded during the Cold Food Festival, but the shop also attracts customers with the delicious flavors of its traditional desserts.
Each bowl of sweet soup here is made from carefully selected natural ingredients, offering a refreshing and sweet flavor. There's the nutty black bean sweet soup, the fragrant mung bean sweet soup, the delicate lotus seed and coconut sweet soup, and the rich and creamy braised sweet soup... Each type of sweet soup has its own unique flavor that captivates diners.
Unlike many places that only sell glutinous rice balls and vegetarian cakes during the Cold Food Festival, Mười Sáu dessert shop serves this dish all year round.
However, the "shining star" of Mười Sáu dessert shop is its glutinous rice balls and vegetarian rice cakes. Unlike many places that only sell glutinous rice balls and vegetarian rice cakes during the Cold Food Festival, Mười Sáu dessert shop serves these cakes year-round. During the Cold Food Festival, the demand for these cakes increases significantly, so the shop has to increase its ingredients many times over. While on normal days the shop only uses 5 kg of glutinous rice flour to make the cakes, during the Cold Food Festival, the amount of glutinous rice flour increases to 50 kg or more.
According to the owner of Mười Sáu dessert shop, selecting the right ingredients is crucial for creating delicious cakes. The cakes are made from the purest, freshest ingredients, ensuring a delicious flavor and preserving the essence of this traditional dish.
The cakes are made from the finest, freshest ingredients, ensuring delicious flavor and preserving the essence of this traditional dish.
After selecting the ingredients, the shaping and cooking process also requires meticulousness and care. Glutinous rice balls are shaped into small, pretty round balls with a soft, pliable outer layer and a sweet, sugary filling inside. Vegetarian rice balls have a thin, chewy outer layer combined with a rich, nutty mung bean filling.
What makes the glutinous rice balls and vegetarian rice cakes at Mười Sáu restaurant so special is their time-honored family recipe. The glutinous rice balls have a soft, chewy texture from the dough combined with the sweetness of brown sugar, a hint of warm spiciness from ginger, and the rich, nutty flavor of sesame seeds. Meanwhile, the vegetarian rice cakes are a harmonious blend of chewy dough, fragrant mung bean paste, and the smooth texture of tapioca starch, brimming with pure, traditional flavors.
What makes the glutinous rice balls and vegetarian rice cakes at Mười Sáu restaurant so special and different is the time-honored family recipe.
This year, on the occasion of the Cold Food Festival, the price of glutinous rice balls at Mười Sáu dessert shop remains unchanged at 20,000 VND per plate and vegetarian cakes at 25,000 VND per cup, the same as on regular days. This price is considered reasonable and affordable for many people.
According to observations, the number of customers buying vegetarian cakes at the shop on the Cold Food Festival increased significantly compared to normal days. Each person usually bought 3-4 bowls of cakes to offer to their ancestors and enjoy with their family. However, some customers also bought dozens of bowls to share with relatives and friends.
On this year's Cold Food Festival, the price of glutinous rice balls at Mười Sáu dessert shop remains unchanged at 20,000 VND per plate and vegetarian cakes at 25,000 VND per cup, the same as on regular days.
“The Mười Sáu dessert shop is always bustling with customers. Despite the crowds, it feels incredibly familiar to me. Since I was a child, I’ve enjoyed the delicious flavors of their glutinous rice balls and vegetarian cakes. Every year during the Hàn Thực festival, buying glutinous rice balls and vegetarian cakes for my family has become an indispensable habit,” shared Mr. Hoàng Tùng (Hai Bà Trưng district, Hanoi).
It can be said that the glutinous rice balls and vegetarian dumplings at Mười Sáu restaurant are not only delicious dishes but also an integral part of Hanoi's culinary culture. Every time diners enjoy these dishes here, they feel transported back to childhood memories and experience the quintessential beauty of traditional cuisine.
The number of customers buying vegetarian cakes at the shop on the Cold Food Festival increased significantly compared to normal days.
Every time diners enjoy this dish here, they feel transported back in time to their childhood memories and experience the quintessential beauty of traditional cuisine.
