Preserving the profession of making ash cake in Hoi An

Mrs. Ty's family wraps ash cakes to supply the market for the Duan Ngo Festival. Photo: NGUYEN QUYNH

Nowadays, the number of families making banh u tro in Hoi An is gradually decreasing due to the scarcity of raw materials, most of the people making this type of cake are old. Hoi An people only make this cake to supply the market during the Doan Ngo Festival.

The ash cakes are tied carefully so that they do not absorb water when steamed.
Photo: NGUYEN QUYNH

Following a small alley, we found the traditional ash cake making facility of Mrs. Le Thi Ty's family (58 years old, Son Pho 1 block, Cam Chau ward, Hoi An) on a day at the end of May.

In the level 4 house, Mrs. Ty and 6 people in the block are doing steps such as cutting palm leaves, wrapping cakes, filtering ash water, stripping strings...

Sticky rice is soaked and washed before wrapping banh u tro. Photo: NGUYEN QUYNH

Mrs. Ty said that her family has been making banh u tro for more than 17 years. The ingredients for making banh u tro are leaves from the Phuoc Son highlands, mussel shells from Cu Lao Cham Island (Hoi An) and sticky rice from An Giang province.

“To make the typical Hoi An flavor of banh ú tro, I choose sticky rice without rice, soak it until soft and clean it thoroughly. The leaves must be thoroughly washed in water and boiled before wrapping the cake. The mussel shells are burned to ash and filtered to get the water.

My family's banh ú tro does not contain preservatives so it cannot be kept for long. When eaten, the cake is soft and chewy so it is very popular with customers" - Ms. Ty said.

Hoi An's ash cakes are made meticulously and beautifully. Photo: NGUYEN QUYNH

This year, Mrs. Ty's family prepared 300 kg of sticky rice along with other ingredients to make about 30,000 tro cakes and tau xa cakes to supply to the market from the 1st to the 4th of the 5th lunar month.

The market for Mrs. Ty's family's ash cakes is not only in Hoi An city but also many customers in districts, cities, and towns order such as Dien Ban, Tam Ky, Da Nang ... Mrs. Ty sells ash cakes for 19,000 VND/dozen, while the price of tau xa cakes is higher.

Although her family has a tradition of making banh ú tro, Ms. Ty’s two sons do not follow in her footsteps. “What I worry about most is that the profession of making banh ú tro will gradually disappear, because the market for this type of cake is quite popular now, it is difficult to compete, and the income is not high, so no young people follow the profession,” Ms. Ty worries.

Ash cake is soft, chewy and delicious. Photo: NGUYEN QUYNH

According to the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation, banh ú tro has a “sister” called banh tau xa, which is much larger because it is filled with sweet black beans, especially delicious and of course more expensive. Banh ú tro is very popular and has a relatively affordable price. Banh tau xa is a luxury item that families with close relationships give to each other during the Doan Ngo Festival.

According to the common custom of ancient Hoi An residents, Tet Doan Ngo as well as Tet Nguyen Dan is an occasion for people to express their feelings, gratitude or strengthen relationships by giving gifts.

According to the concept of Quang Nam people, on the ancestral altar on the Doan Ngo Festival, in addition to sweet soup, sticky rice, and meat, there must be banh ú tro.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/giu-nghe-banh-u-tro-o-hoi-an-3155702.html