If Korea has kimchi and seaweed soup, and Japan has sushi rice, Vietnam will be as much as it is with traditional banh chung. Each flower will have its own fragrance, each ethnic group will have a unique cultural identity and customs that are not mixed. One of the factors that make up a culture of national identity is the culinary culture. Yes, and we are talking about the gentle and graceful Vietnamese people in their graceful ao dai, under a beautiful and lilting conical hat in their sweet, rich tales. Probably because of that, banh chung - a simple dish has become a traditional dish of our people for many centuries. Legend has it that, at the time of the mighty sixth king, the king was old and wanted to pass the throne to his son, but did not know which one of his sons to choose. Therefore, King Hung called his children back and said that if anyone found the best food to worship the Fairy King, he would be crowned. The Lang heard that his father said so, so they went to the forest, they went down to the pool to find delicious and strange things, painted trenches to bring to the Fairy King. The eighteenth son of the king was Lang Lieu, whose mother was stabbed by an estranged father, and died. From a young age, he lived outside the royal palace, in harmony with the worker's life. He has a pure temperament, filial piety, but the power is helpless, he does not know where to find delicious and strange things to celebrate the Fairy King. On the night before the feast day, he dreamed that someone pointed out: "The thing in heaven and on earth has nothing more precious than rice, which is food that feeds people. should take sticky rice to make a round and square cake symbolizing heaven and earth. Covered leaves, put the core in the intestine to image parents born ”. Lang Lieu woke up, so he followed the god's instructions to make cakes to Tien Vuong and was given the throne by the mighty king. Since then, banh chung has become an indispensable item in every Tet holiday in Vietnamese folk. The square cake is wrapped in a very beautiful green seaweed leaf. It is a simple dish from a wet rice civilization. The main ingredients for baking are sticky rice, green beans, onions, pepper and pork. The better the rice is, the more pliable the cake will be. Pork should be bacon that is both lean and fat. If the meat is too lean, the cake will be dry, and vice versa, the meat too fat will make the cake feel bored. to a layer of beans, then a layer of rice. The leaves are the leaves used to wrap the banh chung because it has a very beautiful and soft green color, and does not lose the flavor of the cake. When the package must be wrapped tightly, when boiling, the water cannot be put in, the cake will be delicious. Lat had to tie it tightly, sure, but must be smart. Loose hand package, cake is not delicious. But if you are too sure, the cake is not delicious. Most unique is, banh chung is cooked for a long time, 8-10 hours. The fire must be just right, not too loud and not too small. Although it is called boiling banh chung, the water does not directly contact the boiled ingredients (sticky rice, beans, pork, ...), so it is a form of steaming or distillation to help keep the delicious taste of bean rice and meat. Probably because of that way of processing that people just call that nutritious dish is banh chung. It takes a long time to boil the cakes, so the grains of rice become soft, like when they are sticky rice. When rice grains are so intertwined, they are called "reo" banh chung, which means that banh chung has reached the desired consistency, which is delicious cake. Thanks to the fact that the cake takes a long time to cook, it is in boiling water, so the filling of the cake is beans or meat, having enough time to spice up, blending the flavors together to create the most complete dish. Is that also the concept of living in harmony, harmony and openness of our people? Processing banh chung is not difficult but it takes meticulous attention and skillful hands. Those are also the noble qualities of Vietnamese people.
