The profession of making Chung cake in Binh Dinh

Although not a specialty of Vo land like Banh It La Gai or Banh Hong, the profession of making Banh Chung has existed in Binh Dinh for hundreds of years. Through many ups and downs, the job of wrapping Banh Chung has become a livelihood for many families and is inherited and preserved by generations.

Banh chung is a type of cake that appears frequently in life, often appearing on the offering trays, especially as an indispensable offering on the Hung King's death anniversary offering tray. In the Vietnamese mind, this is not only a dish but also a traditional beauty, expressing the gratitude of descendants to their ancestors and the land. Although Binh Dinh does not have banh chung villages, it also has many famous cake making establishments, often associated with the image of grandmothers and mothers.

Change your life thanks to banh chung

In Binh Dinh, when mentioning banh chung, many people immediately think of the brand Ba Xe, namely Mrs. Phan Thi Xe, 67 years old. 35 years ago, Mrs. Xe's family started a business with many types of cakes including banh chung and banh tet in a small hamlet next to Bau Sen lake, now in Tran Phu ward (Quy Nhon city). After decades of building and developing into a big brand, Mrs. Xe passed on the profession and handed over the work to her children. In particular, the banh chung segment is currently managed by Mr. To Phuoc Sanh and his wife with a bakery located at 25 Thoai Ngoc Hau street (Nhon Binh ward, Quy Nhon city).

As a long-standing brand, Banh Chung Ba Xe is favored by many people because of its beautiful appearance and delicious cake quality. According to Mr. Sanh, in addition to the popular Banh Chung supplied to traditional markets, for many years the facility has also packaged cakes according to orders, especially during holidays and Tet. From a small bakery, Banh Chung Ba Xe has now become familiar in festivals and ceremonies; present in supermarkets and stores in Quy Nhon City and reaching out to large markets such as Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Dang Thi Hong Phuc, owner of Hong Phuc Chung cake establishment, has a stable business thanks to the Chung cake making profession.

In recent years, Hong Phuc Chung cake of Ms. Dang Thi Hong Phuc (No. 113 Hung Vuong Street, Nhon Phu Ward, Quy Nhon City) has become more and more known, especially in the popular segment. Born into a Chung cake making family in An Khe Town (Gia Lai Province), Ms. Phuc was proficient in the profession at the age of 15. At the age of 18, she got married and moved to Quy Nhon and started a career making Chung cakes.

In the early days, Ms. Phuc cooked and sold banh chung at the market. Five years later, she became a supplier of banh chung to customers in all markets in Quy Nhon City and neighboring areas. Currently, even during the low season, the bakery still brings to the market about 300 banh chung of various sizes every day. In addition to savory banh chung, on the full moon and first day of the lunar month every month, she also cooks vegetarian banh chung. During the peak season, especially during the Lunar New Year, Hong Phuc's facility brings to the market about 5,000 banh chung every day.

Ms. Phuc’s facility currently provides jobs for 2-15 workers depending on the time, with an income of 6 million VND/person/month. Sticking with the “not heavy but hard” job, for 20 years, Ms. Phuc and her husband’s job of making and selling banh chung has not only comfortably supported the whole family but also built a comfortable and spacious house.

Pass on the profession, continue the career

Although not as famous as the establishments in Quy Nhon City, hundreds of banh chung kilns are still burning day and night all over the province. The makers are not concentrated but are usually distributed in each region, usually near the city markets and village markets. For example, next to Dieu Tri market (Dieu Tri town, Tuy Phuoc district), there is a banh chung kiln named Ba Bay, also known as Mrs. Tran Thi Thao, 82 years old, famous in the region. She learned the trade from her father, making banh chung since 1960. A few years later, her husband passed away. Thanks to the banh chung pot, she raised her 3 children by herself.

At the age of 82, Mrs. Tran Thi Thao (Dieu Tri town, Tuy Phuoc district, left ) is still attached to the job of wrapping Chung cakes and selling Chung cakes at Dieu Tri market.

Now, even though she has become a grandmother, Mrs. Bay still cooks nearly 100 cakes every day, both wholesale and retail at Dieu Tri market. In the middle of the morning, after selling the last cakes, she walks around the market, chooses the bundles of fresh green banana leaves she likes, stops by the butcher to get some fresh pork belly she ordered in advance, and then goes home to scoop out the sticky rice, cut the meat, steam beans, wipe the banana leaves... "The cakes must be wrapped before sunset to be cooked in time. At night, she has to wake up three times to add coal and water so that by 4am, the cakes are ready to be baked. This job is hard but fun. The happiest thing is that I have a youngest daughter who is willing to follow in her mother's footsteps," Mrs. Bay confided.

Talking about passing on the profession, Ms. Dang Thi Hong Phuc shared, I have a daughter and I don't want her to follow in my footsteps because it's too hard. That said, when she saw her daughter sitting attentively listening to her mother teach her how to tie banh chung and banh tet, her eyes lit up with joy.

Living next to Dam Dam market (An Loc area, Nhon Hoa ward, An Nhon town), Ms. Tran Thi Thu has kept the banh chung oven burning for the past 20 years.

At the age of 25, Mr. Ha Tran Si (Nhon Hoa ward, An Nhon town) has been involved in the banh chung making business for 4 years. Mr. Si is the youngest son of Mrs. Tran Thi Thu, 57 years old, owner of Ba Bon banh chung bakery located next to Dam Dam market (An Loc area, Nhon Hoa ward), one of the famous large-scale and delicious banh chung bakeries in An Nhon town.

In 2021, Mr. Si graduated from Ho Chi Minh City College of Industry and Trade and then returned to help his mother make cakes while waiting for the Covid-19 pandemic to pass. Being skillful and diligent, Mr. Si liked the job more and more and before he knew it, he became addicted to it. Every day, in addition to delivering cakes at the markets, Mr. Si helps his mother with every step from making lye water to soak sticky rice, cleaning beans, to making fillings, wrapping cakes...

“To make a batch of fragrant, soft, and flavorful cakes, especially the eye-catching outer layer with a jade color dyed from banana leaves, I have to be meticulous in everything. The work is not hard, but requires diligence, a little bit of skill, and a passion for learning. This job helps me appreciate money, the more I am attached to it, the more I love my mother, my family, and my roots,” Mr. Si shared.

NGUYEN CHON

Source: https://baobinhdinh.vn/viewer.aspx?macm=22&macmp=22&mabb=353880