At the end of the year, the Tet atmosphere has filled all the traditional villages making banh chung. Every house in the village is bustling with voices and people wrapping banh chung. From the alley to the house, the green color of dong leaves covers the whole house, the faint scent of soaked sticky rice mixed with the thin smoke from the kitchen...
The profession of making banh chung has been passed down from generation to generation in Hung Lo commune.
Hung Lo Commune, Viet Tri City is famous for its Chung cake wrapping and Giay cake pounding profession, which is associated with the legend from the time when King Hung Vuong founded the Vietnamese nation. Continuing the tradition of many generations, the people of Xom village here still keep the profession every day, the Chung cake cooking stove is still red all year round according to orders from all over the place, but the busiest time is still from December of the solar calendar. To make Hung Lo Chung cake famous with the title "present to the King" is the process of accumulating experience passed down through many generations. The secret to making delicious Chung cakes with traditional flavors is the most important step in choosing and preparing ingredients. Sticky rice is the main ingredient of the cake, carefully selected, usually yellow sticky rice. Fresh pork belly, plump green beans, with shells are soaked and peeled to retain the aroma.
Mr. Nguyen Van Ninh - Head of Hung Lo traditional banh chung and banh giay craft village said: “In 2017, Xom village was recognized as Hung Lo banh chung and banh giay craft village. The craft village currently has over 30 households making banh chung and pounding banh giay. People in Xom village do not remember exactly when the banh chung making craft started, they only know that along with the rice noodle making craft, banh chung wrapping craft has been around for a long time.”
The profession of making banh chung in Cam Khe district has been recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The artisans who make Chung cakes in Hung Lo always keep in mind that making cakes is a family tradition, so preserving and promoting the profession is extremely important. As the fourth generation to continue the family's traditional Chung cake making profession in Xom village, Nguyen Thanh Binh said: "Since we were young, my brothers and I started with simple tasks such as sweeping, washing leaves, weighing rice, soaking beans... to staying up late at night to help our grandmother and parents tie strings, and boil Chung cakes to deliver to customers in time for the morning. Although it is hard, my wife and I still decided to continue the profession, preserving the family tradition of wrapping cakes to offer to the Hung Kings on the Hung Kings' death anniversary."
In recent years, Hung Lo banh chung makers have become even more proud to introduce their traditional craft and banh chung products to international tourists when they visit the ancient village. Tourists will learn and experience the traditional banh chung making process of the nation, and enjoy the fragrant banh chung flavor, the rich taste of beans and the richness of meat mixed in the green dong leaves.
Still green dong leaves, yellow sticky rice, green bean filling... when mentioning the famous banh chung wrapping villages of the Ancestral Land, it is impossible not to mention Cat Tru banh chung, Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district. Nearly 30 years of being attached to the traditional banh chung wrapping profession, the family of artisan Nguyen Thi Minh Anh - owner of Chinh Anh banh chung establishment is the third generation to continue the banh chung making profession. Entering the Tet season, her family has to mobilize all members to participate in wrapping the cakes. On average, every day, Ms. Anh's family wraps 5,000-6,000 banh chung. From the elderly to the young, everyone is busy washing the leaves, wiping the leaves, rinsing the rice, slicing the meat, wrapping the cakes... When all the stages of wrapping the cakes are completed, the cakes are placed in large pots placed on a red-hot wood stove to boil the cakes all night long. After being boiled, Cat Tru banh chung has a beautiful shape, square and sharp edges, bright colors, and fragrant rice. The cake is delicious not only because of the rich filling but also because the rice crust is soft, chewy, and not mushy.
Hung Lo Chung Cake and Cat Tru Chung Cake are annually chosen as offerings to King Hung on the occasion of Hung King's death anniversary.
To make a banh chung with the brand name "Banh chung to the King", Ms. Anh said: "A delicious banh chung requires the baker to be meticulous and skillful in every step and especially to use fresh, clean ingredients with clear origins so that the cake will retain its traditional flavor longer". Perhaps because of perfectionism and meticulousness, the reputation spreads far and wide, Banh chung Cat Tru has now reached far and wide, not only supplying the market in the province but also to other provinces and cities, serving the traditional culinary needs and Lunar New Year of Vietnamese people abroad.
With family secrets and passion for keeping the fire burning in the profession, banh chung craft villages are spaces to preserve the culture and traditional customs of Vietnamese people through many generations. Every day, thousands of fragrant sticky banh chung are sold to domestic and foreign markets to serve the need to enjoy national cuisine. In 2023, the banh chung and banh giay making profession of Cam Khe district, Viet Tri city, Tam Nong district was honored to be certified by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to be included in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. At the same time, the banh chung Dat To product, Hung Viet commune, excelled over thousands of unique and typical dishes and was honored to be certified by the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association as one of the TOP 121 typical Vietnamese culinary dishes in 2023.
The traditional profession of making banh chung has helped many households in the Ancestral Land have a stable income, creating jobs for local workers, contributing to preserving the unique traditional beauty of the nation, especially during Tet and Spring.
Ninh Giang
Source: https://baophutho.vn/nang-tam-banh-chung-truyen-thong-225547.htm
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