The profession of making banh chung and banh giay in Viet Tri city and Cam Khe and Tam Nong districts (Phu Tho province) was listed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Decision No. 1180/QD-BVHTTDL dated May 8, 2023. Over time, localities have chosen their own ways to preserve this unique type of heritage that bears the historical and cultural imprint of the localities.
Busy wrapping banh chung for Tet at banh chung production and business household Nguyen Thi Anh (Hung Viet Commune, Cam Khe District)
Keep the soul of the homeland
The legend of Banh Chung and Banh Giay has been passed down in legends for thousands of years, associated with the story of Prince Lang Lieu under the reign of the 6th Hung King. Accepting the king's challenge, the princes went everywhere to find delicious and strange foods to celebrate their father's birthday, along with wishes for national peace and prosperity. After having a dream and being guided by the gods, Lang Lieu offered the king the green Banh Chung representing the square earth, and the round Banh Giay representing the sky. Moved by his filial piety, King Hung passed the throne to him.
Banh chung and banh giay have since become typical products of the homeland of the Ancestors. In modern society, we encounter many variations of these two types of cakes such as: Banh chung with purple rice, Banh chung with green rice, Banh chung with five colors, Banh giay with gac fruit, Banh giay with green beans, Banh giay with pork rind... However, many traditional Banh chung and Banh giay craft villages in localities in Phu Tho still retain the traditional flavor from the time of their ancestors.
Banh chung Ninh Hang is a famous brand passed down from generation to generation in Hung Lo commune, Viet Tri city. Legend has it that the land along the Lo river is where the custom of wrapping banh chung and offering it to the king originated. As the second generation artisans to take over the family tradition, Mr. Nguyen Van Ninh and Mrs. Bui Thi Thu Hang have always maintained the traditional way of making banh chung and banh giay from ancient times.
The ingredients are carefully selected from dong leaves, string to delicious rice, green beans, pork. The steps from soaking rice, beans, mixing and marinating pork to the right level. The wrapper also requires skill to make the cake both square and tight. According to the old people, the secret to making Hung Lo Chung cake so delicious is to carefully select premium ingredients and cook it "naturally" with a wood stove. The cake is boiled all night, every hour the owner adds a little water to make the cake cook faster.
Artisan Nguyen Van Ninh - owner of the Ninh Hang Banh Chung brand in Hung Lo commune said: "Ninh Hang Banh Chung and Banh Giay are commercial products originating from traditional craft villages, so we have thought about changing the flavors to serve customers' tastes. However, after careful consideration, we still choose to bring to the market traditional Banh Chung and Banh Giay products that retain the original flavor from the old days."
Like banh chung, banh giay remains “loyal” to the traditional, rustic culture from ingredients, methods, shape to flavor. The festival of making banh giay in Truc Phe village (Hung Hoa town, Tam Nong district) is held on the 6th and 7th of January every year. The competition attracts residents to compete for nearly 1 hour.
Festival of pounding rice cake in Truc Phe village, Hung Hoa town, Tam Nong district
The glutinous rice used to pound the cake is carefully selected, the grains are plump, white and fragrant. After being steamed in a steamer, the sticky rice is put into a mortar or placed on a wooden board to pound. While pounding, the pestle is lubricated with chicken fat. The pestle must always be pounded vertically until the rice flour is smooth and sticky. After the cake meets the requirements, the teams must shape it into a statue foot, 5cm high and 15 - 20cm in diameter.
When eating Truc Phe sticky rice cake, you can feel the stickiness and aroma of sticky rice, the richness of chicken fat and especially the lack of filling. The artisan team of Tam Nong district won first prize in the contest of wrapping banh chung and pounding banh giay on the occasion of Hung King's death anniversary in 2023. However, when asked why the locality did not develop the commercial product of banh giay, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee Nguyen Ngoc Kien said: "To develop a commercial product, it is necessary to add some ingredients and components to the banh giay. The elders do not support this but only want to keep the original cake according to ancient customs."
Diversified conservation methods
The craft of making Chung cake and Day cake in Viet Tri city, Cam Khe district, Tam Nong district still follows the direction of preserving the soul and traditional flavor. However, each craft village and each locality chooses to develop this type of heritage in its own direction, in accordance with the consciousness and aspirations of the community.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Loi - the third generation of Ninh Hang banh chung brand, Hung Lo commune, Viet Tri city, said: "Banh chung has a longer shelf life than banh giay. Banh chung can be kept cool in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Banh giay can only be kept for a maximum of 3 days in cold weather because banh giay cannot be kept in the refrigerator, which will affect the quality of the cake."
Household producing and trading banh chung and banh giay Ninh Hang, Hung Lo commune, Viet Tri city
With the criteria of not using additives and preservatives that affect consumers' health, manufacturers still have to struggle to find ways to increase shelf life, serve long-distance transportation and reach more customers.
The banh chung brand of artisan Nguyen Thi Anh (Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district) is an example. After the finished banh chung is baked and cooled, the seller will wrap it in a vacuum bag before delivering it to the customer. This is considered an improvement in preservation, helping to prolong the shelf life of the banh chung and also increase customer sympathy.
The process of commercializing traditional handicraft products is not simple. In addition to the production stage, how to produce delicious, quality cakes, it is necessary to invest in packaging, increase recognition, preservation, and transportation for consumption. It seems that the "fickleness" of banh giay makes it difficult for this product to participate in the commercial supply chain, but the owner of Lang Lieu banh giay production facility has made the banh giay product labeled OCOP 3 stars of Viet Tri City.
Mr. Dao Van Long - Owner of Lang Lieu Banh Giay establishment (Hy Cuong commune, Viet Tri city) has seen the key in the production and consumption of Banh Giay. That is knowing how to take advantage of the time. In the three months of Spring, the output reaches 20 tons of rice/month. At the peak of the festival, the establishment consumes 1 ton of rice/day. Thanks to knowing how to "make one crop to feed the whole year", his establishment has remained stable in the market for 18 years thanks to the traditional Banh Giay.
In addition to commercial production, Truc Phe sticky rice cake (Hung Hoa town, Tam Nong district) and Mo Chu Ha sticky rice cake (Bach Hac ward, Viet Tri city) are very famous but are still preserved through traditional festivals. Over the centuries, local people have chosen different ways to preserve the beauty of their ancestors' culinary culture, passing it on to future generations.
Thuy Trang
Source: https://baophutho.vn/nghe-lam-banh-chung-banh-giay-tren-que-huong-dat-to-225305.htm
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