Fatty meat, pickled onions, red parallel sentences
"The flagpole, the firecrackers, the green square cakes"
People often say that seeing banh chung means seeing Tet. Therefore, no matter where they are or what they are doing, Vietnamese people always look forward to returning home, gathering with their families to feel the atmosphere of Tet approaching. Just by inhaling the fragrant scent of banh chung, they can easily feel the unique flavor of Tet.
People often say seeing banh chung means seeing Tet.
According to ancient beliefs, the square shape of banh chung symbolizes the earth. The ingredients used to make banh chung are very simple: the cake shell is made from fragrant sticky rice with the filling being fatty meat, green beans, pepper, etc. All are wrapped inside a layer of green dong leaves and tied tightly with soft, flexible strings to create a beautiful square cake.
Right from the first days of the 12th lunar month, the banh chung wrapping villages in Ha Thanh have become busier and more bustling than ever.
Tranh Khuc Chung Cake
When talking about famous banh chung making villages in the capital, we cannot help but mention Tranh Khuc village in Duyen Ha commune, Thanh Tri district, Hanoi. Banh chung in Tranh Khuc village is made from a family secret recipe, making it difficult for people from other places to “steal”. In particular, the professional banh chung wrappers in the village do not need to use molds but the cakes are still perfectly square.
Banh chung in Tranh Khuc village is made from traditional secrets.
It is known that the secret to having a beautiful cake is that the wrapper must wrap it tightly, in the right way, with the right weight and boil it for the right amount of time. Wrapping banh chung seems simple but actually requires high technical skills, just one wrong step can easily affect the quality of the product.
Good news travels fast, the soft and fragrant banh chung from Tranh Khuc village is not only loved by Hanoi people but also known in many neighboring provinces.
Professional cake wrappers in the village do not need to use molds but the cakes are still perfectly square.
Banh Chung Lang Bac
Bac Village (Phu Thuong, Tay Ho) has had large families specializing in making banh chung for generations. Perhaps that is why, banh chung here is considered by many Hanoians as “golden banh chung, silver banh chung” because of its expensive price and quality which is also among the best in the capital.
What makes the name of Banh Chung Lang Bac is that it still retains its traditional flavor. The artisans who wrap Banh Chung Lang Bac always remember the 10 "golden" words to create the Banh Chung brand: "Meat is hidden in beans, beans are hidden in rice".
If you want to enjoy Banh Chung Lang Bac, you can find Banh Chung vendors in markets such as Dong Xuan, Hang Da, Cho Hom… With its delicious flavor and full filling, Banh Chung Lang Bac easily scores points and is the top choice of people during Tet holidays.
Bac Village (Phu Thuong, Tay Ho) has large families that have specialized in making banh chung for generations.
Lo Khe Chung Cake
30 km from the center of Hanoi, Lo Khe village belongs to Lien Ha commune, Dong Anh district, Hanoi. If you have had the opportunity to enjoy Lo Khe banh chung, you will surely find it hard to forget this unique flavor. One of the factors that makes Lo Khe banh chung different is the rich filling that is processed very carefully. Green beans are carefully selected, must be small pepper beans, round and plump. After the beans are broken, the cake maker soaks them to peel off the shell, cleans them, drains them and steams them. The pork used to make the cake is lean shoulder, with a little fat to create a rich flavor, accented with the spicy and aromatic flavor of ground pepper.
Visiting Lo Khe village in the last days of the year before Tet, you will encounter an extremely busy and bustling atmosphere. In the village, every yard is full of washed dong leaves, soaked sticky rice, fragrant green beans, and pots and barrels ready to "fire".
One of the factors that makes Lo Khe village's banh chung different is the rich filling that is very elaborately prepared.
Lo Khe village's banh chung mainly serves the suburbs and inner city of Hanoi. During peak times, the bakeries are "on fire" from around December 22 to the 30th of Tet. Many picky people even come to the village to order banh chung, as a respectful offering to the ancestral altar during Tet holidays.
