Banh chung

Banh chung (known as banh tet by Southerners) is a traditional dish with the oldest history in Vietnam, considered from the Hung King era, with the legend of “banh chung and banh day”.

The way to make banh chung represents Vietnamese folklore culture: Using rustic ingredients, processing with spices, stewing on fire and preserving for a long time. The raw material of banh chung, including the shell of the cake, is pounded glutinous rice; Filled with pork, green beans. Banh chung is wrapped in a square shape, inside a dong leaf or a banana leaf to have a green color. After wrapping, banh chung is boiled in water for a long time, usually sitting until it is just cooked to not be crushed, burned, but also not raw. This is the most delicate dish of banh chung, often associated with the image of children sitting and looking after banh chung all night, while watching and playing Tam Cuc during Tet. Once cooked, banh chung just needs to be peeled off and eaten. You can eat it right away or eat it with melons, onions, or palanquins.

Banh Tet in the South has a similar way but instead of a square, it is a cylinder. Many people believe that this is the original shape of banh chung, and banh chung and banh day are actually made according to the belief in gas life.