A gift with a taste of home.

Not "emerging" from ancient legends, nor a rare and hard-to-find delicacy, Phong Chau cassava cake, once a simple rural treat, has become a renowned OCOP product, recognized and honored by the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association as a typical Vietnamese culinary artifact.

Phong Chau cassava cake is made from fresh cassava instead of the traditional dried cassava flour.

When steamed, cassava cake is white, translucent, fragrant, and has a sweet, nutty, and rich flavor.

From "hunger-relieving" dishes...

At the booth organized by the Art Performance and Exhibition program, showcasing OCOP products to celebrate Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, Phong Chau cassava cake was prepared and steamed right at the table, attracting many visitors to enjoy it.

Cassava cake tastes best when freshly steamed, with its fragrant aroma, soft crust, and rich, creamy filling... that's the feeling of many diners. However, deep down, for the elderly, cassava cake and the story behind this quintessential rural treat evoke indescribable emotions and distant memories. In the 1950s, the country was still at war, science and technology were underdeveloped, and agricultural production relied heavily on the weather and the elements. Therefore, rice and corn crops often failed due to crop failure and pest infestations, and even when harvested, yields were very low. Conversely, cassava was easy to grow and suited to gently sloping hills; for a long time, it was a staple food crop for the people of Phu Ninh.

Phong Chau cassava cakes come in many shapes and colors, are made from natural ingredients, and are recognized as an OCOP product.

From the lush cassava plants on the hillsides, the leaves are used as a vegetable, the dried cassava stalks are used as firewood and for reinforcing fences, and the cassava tubers fill the yards, so the smoke from the kitchens carries a slightly pungent cassava aroma. Fresh cassava is boiled or roasted; smaller cassava tubers are dried for longer preservation. During the lean season, cassava becomes the main dish, and the snow-white, velvety-soft cassava flour—the main ingredient for making cassava cakes—is also processed in large quantities by the locals to "change things up."

Ms. Le Thi Luong from Phong Chau town, Phu Ninh district, invites visitors to sample Phong Chau cassava cake.

Introducing the OCOP product Phong Chau cassava cake to customers, Ms. Le Thi Luong - owner of the Phong Chau cassava cake production facility in Phong Chau town, Phu Ninh district - enthusiastically said: "The 'original' cassava cake is simply made from cassava flour and then steamed; to ensure the cake cooks quickly and evenly, people often use a chopstick to create a hole in the middle of the cake. Another reason is that because the cake is still hot, you have to use a chopstick to pierce it, and hungry children sometimes bite the chopstick itself, so adults jokingly call it 'cassava cake with chopstick filling'."

Through years of hardship, life has changed, and daily meals are no longer a constant worry. While meals are now plentiful with meat, fish, and vegetables, cassava cake – the "hunger-relief" food of yesteryear – still makes an appearance. It remains in the same form, yet it encapsulates the dedication, aroma, color, and flavor of warmth, abundance, and prosperity...

Come and discover the famous "specialty"

Cassava cake is a popular dish found in many localities throughout the province, and its preparation and enjoyment therefore have their own unique flavors. Making cassava cake isn't difficult, but the baker must skillfully spread the batter evenly so that the cake doesn't tear when steamed at high temperatures. For Phong Chau cassava cake, instead of using dry cassava flour like other localities, Mrs. Luong's family uses fresh cassava tubers, ground into a smooth paste. She shared: "Based on what is considered a 'traditional' recipe, I make cassava cake for my family, relatives, and friends to enjoy. With many suggestions and the application of modern kitchen equipment, the cassava cake is made from fresh cassava tubers, preserving the aroma and flavor while ensuring food safety and hygiene... and especially appealing to a wide range of diners."

Many people love cassava cake because it keeps well and is easy to prepare.

The cassava I choose is a type of glutinous cassava with large, white, thick tubers, high starch content, and few nodes... when steamed, the flour has a translucent color, is soft, and has just the right amount of chewiness; when cooled, the cake doesn't become hard or tough. In addition, to make the cassava cake visually appealing and attractive to customers, I use several types of leaves readily available in the countryside to color the cassava flour, creating colorful cassava cakes that are both safe and beautiful...

Choosing cassava cake as one of the dishes to treat friends and relatives on his special day, Mr. Nguyen Trung Hieu from Trung Vuong commune, Viet Tri city, shared: "Cassava cake will make a difference to the feast, because it can be enjoyed while still hot, and can also be eaten instead of rice for those who don't want to eat too much starch. On the other hand, for guests far away, I can easily and conveniently order cassava cake as a gift..."

Young people enjoy cassava cake as a novel culinary experience; the elderly eat it to evoke memories of a bygone era; tourists are curious to try cassava cake and fall in love with this familiar dish; and locals consider cassava cake the most suitable "appetizer" for any party, large or small... Thus, cassava cake is not only familiar to the people of Phu Tho , but has become a renowned "specialty," following people's footsteps to every family and every kitchen.

Le Hoang

Source: https://baophutho.vn/mon-qua-dam-vi-que-225713.htm