中文 - Tiếng Việt

Unique traditional cakes in Hue city for Tet celebrations

Thứ Hai, 24/01/2022, 20:46

Banh sam (ginseng cake) and banh dua (pineapple cake) are an indispensable part of the festive season in Hue city of Thua Thien-Hue province, central Vietnam, especially during the Lunar New Year holiday, known locally as Tet.

Every year Nguyen Xuan Lang, a local cake baker, is busy before Tet as he receives plenty of orders for the two famous cakes.

The 89-year-old man residing in An Thanh village, Quang Dien district, has been practicing his craft for more than seven decades.

Many households in An Thanh village prepare 10 kinds of different cakes especially for Tet celebrations, although only Lang is able to produce unique ginseng and pineapple cakes.

Making these two kinds of cake requires hard-working skills of the renowned baker.

Neither his daughter nor daughter-in-law are able to make these local delicacies.

Lang only produces these cakes during the Tet holiday or when he receives orders for special occasions.

He begins to work on the cakes on the first day of the last lunar month, with over 100 ginseng cakes made each day.

Lang shares that this year he has received an early order from the Hue Cultural Museum for displays during the Tet holiday.

These eye-catching cakes cost between VND3,000 to VND5,000 each.

These cakes are often used as part of ancestor offerings every Lunar New Year.

Each cake is a testament to the meticulousness of the talented baker.

The cake is carefully wrapped in a well-decorated pack.

Producing these special cakes every Tet is a way of keeping local traditions alive from generation to generation, Lang says.

VOV

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