The rice cake villages of Nghe An province burn brightly with fires throughout the night.

TPO - As Tet approaches, Vinh Hoa village (Yen Thanh commune, Nghe An province), known for its banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), becomes bustling with activity during its peak season. From early morning until late at night, dozens of stoves are burning, and thousands of neatly wrapped banh chung are transported by truck to all parts of the country.

In Nghe An , when mentioning banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cake), people immediately think of Vinh Hoa village – a village with a history of nearly 80 years associated with the craft. In the days leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), all the production facilities are lit up from dawn, with workers busily washing leaves and wrapping cakes to fulfill customer orders on time.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhuong (58 years old) - the owner of the banh chung (Vietnamese rice cake) business - said that her family has been in the business for four generations, from her great-grandfather, grandparents, to her and her husband, and now her daughter is continuing the tradition.

"Our village makes cakes all year round, but in small quantities. The Lunar New Year season is the biggest of the year. Orders increase many times over, and some days we work from morning until late at night, without a moment's rest," Mrs. Nhuong shared.

Ms. Le Thi Kieu My (Ms. Nhuong's daughter) said that to ensure quality, her family's establishment assigns each person a specific task or step in the production line. Specifically, some people are assigned to wash the leaves, others to prepare the sticky rice, some specialize in wrapping the cakes, and others are in charge of boiling them.

Before wrapping the cakes, the leaves are washed and drained.

All the ingredients are prepared in advance, so in just a few minutes, Ms. Kieu My can wrap a banh chung (Vietnamese rice cake). "On peak days, I wrap over 1,000 cakes. Doing it so often makes you skilled," Ms. Kieu My said. Although she sells a lot, wrapping the cakes is hard work; sitting for long periods causes back pain, and meals are often irregular.

Not far away, the Khánh Châu sticky rice cake (bánh chưng) facility is equally bustling. Mr. Trần Quốc Khánh (54 years old) said that to serve the Tet market, this year his family imported more than 50,000 banana leaves to wrap the cakes. To meet orders on time, Mr. Khánh had to hire four additional seasonal workers to help with the work.

"We're not accepting new orders now; we're just focusing on fulfilling existing customer orders. If we worked continuously, we'd have to finish by the 28th of Tet before taking a break," said Khanh.

"Every day I wake up at 6 am and wrap the cakes until 8 pm, averaging about 1,200-1,400 cakes a day. It's tiring but fun. Each cake is a part of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) sent to all corners of the world," said Le Thanh Binh, a long-time cake wrapper in Vinh Hoa village.

According to locals, Vinh Hoa's famously delicious banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) owes its success to the meticulous selection of ingredients: thick, green dong leaves, fragrant sticky rice, soft mung beans, and fresh pork seasoned just right. From the wrapping and arranging of the cakes to adding water and controlling the heat, everything is carefully considered. Each family has its own secret recipe, creating a unique and unmistakable flavor.

Thanks to its distinctive flavor, Vinh Hoa sticky rice cake is now not only served within the commune and province, but is also transported by passenger buses and trucks all the way to the South and North of Vietnam…

Source: https://tienphong.vn/lang-banh-chung-xu-nghe-do-lua-xuyen-dem-post1820682.tpo