Not only appearing on the offering tray, there are dishes that appear throughout the Tet season from the 25th and 26th of Tet to the 4th and 5th or even longer as an unwritten rule. These are dishes that you can see when you go to the kitchen these days, when you are hungry you open the cupboard and rummage around and you will see them, guests coming to the house will also take out that dish to offer, ten houses are the same.
These are the dishes that children in the South have to eat over and over again almost every day during Tet. These Tet dishes have remained the same over the years, those who like them enjoy them, those who are bored with them, but we have to admit that without these dishes, there is no feeling of Tet anymore.
Braised pork
If you are from the South, then you will definitely have a pot of braised pork at home. This braised pork is not the usual braised pork but braised pork in coconut water, the liquid is thin and thick like soup, with a little light brown color from caramel. The meat in this is half fat, especially fatty, making the meat juice often float with a light layer of fat, very attractive.
In particular, this pot is extremely large, not the type of braised meat that is used for meals as usual, but a pot of braised meat that is the size of one of the biggest pots in the house, for the whole family to eat during Tet. For some people, this pot of braised meat is like a "nightmare" when they have to eat three meals a day... However, if Tet in the South does not have braised meat and duck eggs, it would be empty and sad, so even though people are fed up with eating, they still have to cook a big pot of meat for the whole family to eat during Tet.
Banh tet
It is a fact that, as if we have not had enough banh tet at home, we are invited to have a few slices at any house we visit... Banh tet and banh chung are naturally associated with Tet, but they do not stop at the Tet tray, these two dishes also accompany children from all regions during the Tet season.
I don’t know if it’s the same for every family, but it seems like Southern housewives don’t usually cook much during the three days of Tet. And they have the right to do so because after putting all their energy into the grand Tet feast, everyone is tired, so the meals for Southern children throughout Tet are almost all fried sticky rice cakes with braised pork (above).
Pork sausage
For Southern children, the most common phrase heard when cooking is probably "XX, go cut some pork roll to serve guests". Unlike braised pork that is not often served, pork roll, like banh tet, often goes together and accompanies guests. Pork roll can actually be eaten all year round, as evidenced by the fact that every sandwich cart sells pork roll, so this is not a special dish. However, for some reason, every Tet must have 1 to 2 kilos of pork roll.
Perhaps because the pork roll can be kept for a long time, does not require much preparation and can be eaten at any time. Pork roll is delicious with banh tet, rice or bread.
Jams
The truth is, with the introduction of Western cakes and pastries, most of us are no longer too keen on cakes and jams. Tet is one of the few occasions when we can see traditional cakes and jams. And since most shops are closed during Tet, cakes and jams are obviously the only snack options we have. Sitting on a chair, munching on sunflower seeds, chewing some jams and drinking tea while waiting for guests to come is one of the activities that only exists during Tet.
Pickles
There are many normal families that still have pickles, but there are families that almost never eat pickles all year round, except for Tet. Tet is the occasion for gathering countless jars of pickles, salted vegetables, pickled radishes... So many that even before entering the kitchen, you can smell the characteristic pungent smell from outside. Many people do not like to eat pickles, but it cannot be denied that without them, banh tet and braised meat dishes become more greasy and boring. Pickles are a powerful "savior" for those who accidentally eat too much fatty meat.
On the other hand, Southerners have a habit of calling all kinds of pickled vegetables and roots "pickles", but in reality, pickled onions, radishes and pickled mustard greens are most popular here.
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