Traditional confectionery for Tet: Improving quality, preserving traditional flavors.

In modern life, as the market for industrially produced confectionery expands with diverse designs and competitive prices, many consumers are increasingly turning to familiar traditional flavors, especially during the Lunar New Year. This strong resurgence has contributed to a bustling and urgent atmosphere at traditional confectionery workshops in Thanh Hoa province during the end of the year.

The packaging for the Lang Chánh longan candy cooperative's products, prepared for the Lunar New Year season, is beautifully designed, increasing their appeal in the market.

While industrially produced confectionery was previously favored for its convenience, long shelf life, and low price, in recent years, the trend of choosing traditional products has made a strong comeback. This is most evident during Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year), when consumers prioritize products made from purely natural ingredients such as glutinous rice flour, molasses, ginger, peanuts, etc., which are familiar and close to Vietnamese culinary traditions.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh from Hac Thanh ward said: "In recent years, my family has prioritized traditional sweets and candies for Tet. Firstly, because they are made with natural ingredients and do not use preservatives, so we feel more at ease. Secondly, the flavors of sticky rice cakes, peanut candy, or longan-shaped cakes are very familiar and evoke memories of Tet in the past. The children in the house also like them because of their mild sweetness, which is not as harsh as many industrial sweets and candies."

In a context where many industrial products contain preservatives, additives, and synthetic flavorings, traditional confectionery has become a safer choice for health, while also carrying deep cultural significance. Lunar New Year is not only a time for family reunions, but also a time for each family to preserve the flavors of the past through traditional cakes and candies. These handcrafted products, imbued with cultural identity, are therefore gaining an increasingly strong foothold in the market.

Production at many traditional confectionery workshops begins to heat up from the tenth lunar month. Those in the trade often liken this period to a "bumper harvest season," as demand surges, leading to orders many times larger than usual. To keep up with demand, workshop owners are forced to work overtime, hire more workers, and even invest heavily in machinery to increase productivity and maintain quality.

At the Huynh Dung sticky rice cake production facility, owner Nguyen Ngoc Huynh said that in recent years, the demand for sticky rice cakes during Tet (Lunar New Year) has always increased sharply. “Every Tet, the facility has to invest in twice as much machinery and equipment as usual and hire more workers to keep up with orders,” Mr. Huynh shared. The expansion of production capacity shows the special appeal of handcrafted products as the holiday season approaches. Not only are production increasing, but facilities are also flexibly adjusting recipes to suit modern tastes. “Customers now prefer sticky rice cakes with a mild sweetness and a soft, chewy texture, so we have to change the recipe, reducing the sweetness and increasing the natural ginger aroma,” Mr. Huynh added. This adjustment is not only to meet market demand but also demonstrates the efforts of traditional facilities to innovate and improve quality, a factor that helps the product maintain its appeal amidst a host of modern choices.

A similar bustling atmosphere prevails at the Lang Chanh Longan Candy Cooperative in Linh Son commune. According to Ms. Mai Thi Hoa, deputy director of the Lang Chanh Longan Candy Cooperative, Tet (Lunar New Year) is the peak consumption period of the year, with sales volume increasing 3-4 times compared to normal days. To attract customers and offer more choices, the cooperative not only produces traditional longan candy but also develops additional flavors such as sesame longan candy, gac fruit longan candy, and ginger longan candy. This diversification helps the product reach a wider range of customers and creates a unique identity for the local brand. However, despite the surge in orders, the cooperative still prioritizes quality. "All ingredients are sourced locally. Even when orders sometimes exceed production capacity, we always ensure the quality of each batch of candy," Ms. Hoa affirmed. The commitment to maintaining the traditional handcrafted method and using authentic local ingredients is what sets Lang Chanh Longan Candy apart and helps it maintain its reputation in the Tet market.

A major change in the traditional confectionery market during Tet (Lunar New Year) is the increasing investment in packaging. From the simple candy packets of the past, products now come in elegant paper boxes and gift bags with eye-catching colors, suitable for gift-giving trends. This improvement in appearance does not diminish traditional values; on the contrary, it makes the products more attractive and sophisticated, suitable for displaying on Tet feast tables or as Tet gifts to friends and relatives. This is a major factor contributing to the increased competitiveness of traditional confectionery in the context of increasingly mass-produced goods. In particular, besides traditional markets such as Tet markets, stores, and supermarkets, many traditional confectionery producers are now proactively promoting their products through e-commerce platforms. Leveraging the digital space helps products reach consumers far away, especially customers in other provinces and cities who want to buy local specialties during Tet.

During the Lunar New Year, traditional confectionery is not simply a product serving consumer needs, but also a "bridge" between the past and the present. The rush of production, quality upgrades, and packaging improvements by businesses during Tet not only increases economic value for local people but also plays a crucial role in preserving the beauty of national cuisine.

Article and photos: Phuong Do

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/banh-keo-truyen-thong-vao-vu-tet-nang-chat-luong-giu-vi-xua-271386.htm