"Keeping the flame alive" of the traditional mooncake-making craft.

For every family, the Mid-Autumn Festival is incomplete without delicious baked and glutinous rice mooncakes. Nowadays, mooncakes have undergone many changes in flavor and color, and some are even imported, but traditional mooncakes remain a popular choice for consumers due to their unique taste that evokes childhood memories. Family-run businesses are the ones that have been and continue to be instrumental in preserving the traditional flavor of mooncakes.

Mooncakes bearing the Ta Quyet brand are always popular with customers.

Starting from the seventh lunar month, many mooncake production facilities become bustling. Among them is the mooncake-making tradition in the former Phu Tho town, founded by Mr. Hoang Quy. His son and daughter followed in his footsteps, opening shops and passing the craft down to their descendants to this day.

Ta Quyet's family-run mooncake production facility is one of the most famous establishments, with nearly 100 years of history.

Continuing the traditional craft of his ancestors, Mr. Ta Van Duoc, the third-generation descendant of Mr. Ta Quyet - the owner of the Ta Quyet family-run traditional mooncake production facility, now located in Au Co ward, shared: "The family's traditional mooncake making craft was passed down to my father. He had five children, four of whom followed the profession and opened their own businesses. I am the eldest son and live with my grandparents and parents, so I still use the name of Mr. Ta Quyet. Mooncakes are made year-round, even on ordinary days, and are sold as soon as they are produced. During the Mid-Autumn Festival alone, my family produces about 10 tons of mooncakes, which are sold throughout the province and beyond."

The baked goods came out of the oven, golden brown and fragrant.

Mooncakes come in baked and soft varieties. Each cake has an outer layer called the crust and an inner filling. To create delicious mooncakes with a unique, traditional flavor—fragrant, soft, and non-sticky—every step, from selecting the flour to making the filling and molding, is done meticulously and rigorously, ensuring technical skill and food safety. Combined with each establishment's own secret recipe and careful ingredient selection, these traditional mooncakes have their own distinct flavor, contributing to the enduring appeal of the traditional mooncake tradition.

During the peak Mid-Autumn Festival season, Ta Quyet's mooncake production facility produces approximately 1,000 baked and soft mooncakes daily. The products sell out as soon as they are made, so the mooncakes are always fresh.

The traditional mooncake-making process at Nam Hai confectionery factory, located in Zone 9, Thanh Mieu Ward, is done meticulously by hand.

Meanwhile, at the Nam Hai traditional confectionery production facility in Zone 9, Thanh Mieu Ward, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, dozens of workers are busy producing various types of baked and soft mooncakes with different flavors such as: mixed nuts, mung bean, taro, green tea... Each type has its own unique characteristics in both appearance and filling flavor.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hai, owner of the Nam Hai family-run traditional confectionery production facility, shared: "Nam Hai's traditional mooncakes have been around for nearly 40 years. Since childhood, I have been taught the techniques of making mooncakes by my grandparents and parents, leaving behind this family-run brand. Therefore, when making mooncakes, I believe that each mooncake that comes out of the oven and reaches the consumer is not simply for profit, but also to preserve the family tradition."

Traditional mooncakes remain a popular choice for many diners.

Nowadays, to cater to customer demand, in addition to the traditional mixed filling, mooncake manufacturers also produce mooncakes with a variety of fillings such as: grilled chicken, salted egg yolk, mung bean and lotus seed paste, green tea, red bean, taro, pandan leaf, durian, etc. However, the traditional mixed-filling mooncake still holds a special place in the hearts of diners, young and old. This is also the "unique weapon" of family-run mooncake producers that industrial production can hardly replace.

Nam Hai confectionery production facility, located in Zone 9, Thanh Mieu Ward, has nearly 40 years of experience producing traditional mooncakes.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life, traditional mooncake production facilities like those of Mr. Duoc and Mr. Hai's families are becoming increasingly rare. Driven by their love for the craft, they continue to diligently pass on their skills, "keeping the flame alive" for traditional mooncake making. This is not only a desire to preserve the traditional flavors but also to safeguard the cultural heritage for future generations.

Moc Lam

Source: https://baophutho.vn/giu-lua-nghe-lam-banh-trung-thu-truyen-thong-239486.htm