Indispensable dishes on the Tet tray.

North

Chung cake

Photo: dienmayxanh

Banh chung has a long history associated with the legend of the 16th Hung King Lang Lieu. In order to express gratitude to his ancestors and the earth, Prince Lang Lieu created banh chung symbolizing the earth. Banh chung has meat and green bean filling. It is the only cake with a long history in Vietnamese culinary culture. Many Vietnamese families have the tradition of boiling banh chung to give as gifts and for their families during the long Tet holiday. The image of everyone sitting around the stove watching the pot of banh chung is always a warm image, reminding many people of the traditional holiday flavor.

Jellied meat

Photo: hoamaitet

Jellied meat is a typical dish of the Northern people. In the cold air, the jellied meat becomes more delicious and attractive. This dish is made from pork belly (can be replaced with chicken) plus a piece of pork skin. All are simmered. After cooking, take the pot of meat out of the stove and place it outside, cover it tightly so that the dish can absorb the cold of the night sky. By early the next morning, there will be a beautiful pot of jellied meat. In the cold weather, enjoying jellied meat brings a delicious and strangely attractive feeling.

Pickled onions

Photo: Youtube

“Fatty meat, pickled onions, red parallel sentences. Bamboo pole, firecrackers, green Chung cake” is a famous saying that every Vietnamese knows every time Tet comes. This is an indispensable dish with sour, salty, spicy taste when onions are pickled. Pickled onions are often used as a condiment to eat with Chung cake or with greasy meats such as jellied meat, braised pork, boiled meat to reduce the feeling of fullness.

Dried bamboo shoot soup

Photo: phunutoday

Dried bamboo shoots neutralize the fat of pork, creating a sweet but not greasy taste for this traditional dish.

Lean ham - Ear ham

Photo: phunutoday

Traditional Northern dishes never lack a plate of lean ham or pork ear ham placed in the middle.

Fried spring rolls

Photo: radiome

Fried spring rolls are not only a familiar dish in daily family meals but also an indispensable dish in the traditional Northern Tet tray. The spring rolls are fried until golden brown with a crispy outer layer, the inside is filled with meat, eggs, wood ear mushrooms, and soft bean sprouts. The spring roll dipping sauce must be prepared very well, skillfully balancing the salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors together to create a rich and well-rounded flavor.

Sweet potato stew

Photo: may.vn

The taste of sweet potato pudding is special, it is cool and smooth, has the delicious taste of green beans and the faint scent of grapefruit flowers. On Tet holiday, after eating a lot of food rich in protein and fat, dessert with sweet potato pudding will help reduce the feeling of fullness.

Central region

Banh tet

Photo: Vove

Just as Northerners have banh chung on Tet holiday, Central and Southerners have banh tet. Central Vietnamese banh tet is rustic and simple. The main ingredients are the same as Southern banh tet, including sticky rice, green beans, pork, etc. However, the sticky rice in the cake is much thicker than the filling and the cake is tied quite tightly. This makes the cake sturdy and has a longer shelf life.

Banh to

Photo: 8monngonmoingay

A delicious and attractive cake, also indispensable on the ancestral altar during Tet is Banh To. Banh To is made from fragrant sticky rice, brown sugar, ginger and sesame. During Tet, this dish is often made in large quantities to be used gradually over several months.

Pork marinated in fish sauce

Photo: bepgiadinh

Pork marinated in fish sauce is a very popular dish and indispensable in the Tet holiday tray. This dish is made from boiled pork, sugar mixed with fish sauce. Let the ingredients cool, then put the meat in a glass jar, then slowly pour in fish sauce to cover the meat, leave for about 3 days for the meat to absorb the fish sauce and then eat.

Southern

Banh tet

Photo: thanhnien

Banh tet symbolizes prosperity from generation to generation and is indispensable during Tet. There are many types of banh tet such as: salty banh tet, banh tet with mixed fillings, sweet banh tet, vegetarian banh tet without filling.

Braised meat

Photo: 6monngonmoingay

The most famous traditional Tet dish of the Southern people is probably braised pork in coconut water, also known as braised pork in wine, braised pork with duck eggs. And only in the South is there a way to cook braised pork that is delicious and attractive like no other.

Bitter melon soup

Photo: newszing

This is a daily dish in every family in the South, and is also used during Tet holidays with the meaning of helping to push away "suffering" things. This is also a nutritious dish to cool the body during Tet holidays, when the weather in the South starts to get hot.

Pickled onions and dried shrimp

Photo: haisanmoingay

The South also favors pickled onions like the Central region, but pickled onions in the South are not eaten with banh tet, but are often eaten with dried shrimp as a separate dish. Although the dish is simple, it is an indispensable dish, always appearing on the Tet tray.

Ngoc Anh (TH)

The Thanh