Love for the land and its people, expressed through traditional cakes.

An Giang boasts a diverse culture, with its cuisine being particularly noteworthy. Vietnamese, Khmer, Cham, and Chinese people have together created a unique culinary treasure trove for this border region. Within this treasure trove, traditional cakes hold a special place. Each cake tells a story, encapsulating not only color and flavor but also the memories of countless people.

Simple, rustic cakes

Traditional cakes in An Giang boast a rich variety of flavors due to the cultural exchange among different ethnic groups. The Vietnamese have bánh tét, bánh ít, bánh da lợn, bánh chuối nướng… The Khmer have bánh bò thốt nốt, bánh ống dứa, bánh katum… The Cham have bánh bò nướng (ha cô-âm), bánh bột nướng (ha nam-prang), bánh cay (ha pá)… The Chinese have bánh bao, bánh tổ, bánh bá trạng… Each cake tells a story about the land, the people, and the process of adaptation and creativity in life.

Artisan Neáng Phương (on the left).

The cakes are made from famous local ingredients such as Phu Tan sticky rice, Cho Moi rice, Bay Nui palm sugar, or bananas and coconuts from the family garden. The processing is largely manual, involving many steps such as soaking the sticky rice, grinding the flour, cooking the sugar, making coconut milk, wrapping in leaves, and steaming the cakes… requiring meticulousness and skill from the bakers. Therefore, after completion, each cake is not just a food item, but also the result of patience and techniques passed down from generation to generation.

Traditional cakes have thus become a part of the memories of many generations, the soul of local culture. Amidst the flow of modernity, artisans still quietly act as a bridge between the past and the present, helping traditional cuisine to continue to be preserved, passed down, and spread to friends near and far.

Skill passed down through generations

In Chau Phong commune, where the Cham community has long lived following Islam, one of the most prominent artisans of traditional Cham cakes is Ms. Rofiah. She can prepare many types of traditional Cham cakes, but the most popular are grilled rice cakes (ha co-am), grilled flour cakes (ha nam-prang), and spicy cakes (ha pa)... Most of the ingredients are familiar in the life of the Mekong Delta, such as rice flour, coconut milk, chicken eggs, and especially palm sugar.

Today, Ms. Rofiah still maintains the traditional methods passed down from her ancestors. In her small kitchen, filled with the aroma of flour and wood smoke, she meticulously performs each step, from grinding the flour and proofing the dough to pouring the batter. Each batch of hot, golden-brown cakes, carrying their distinctive flavor, emerges from the oven. In 2022, with her grilled beef cake, artisan Rofiah won the Gold Medal at the Southern Vietnam Traditional Cake Competition held in Can Tho City.

In O Lam commune, artisan Neang Phuong preserves the traditional Khmer folk cake of the That Son region. She is famous for her katum cake, which is both simple and elaborate. This cake earned her a gold medal at the Southern Folk Cake Competition held in Can Tho City in 2016. Katum cake is made with glutinous rice, beans, coconut milk, and palm sugar. The cake is wrapped in palm leaves. The wrapping process is particularly elaborate, with each leaf interwoven neatly to form a pomegranate shape. After wrapping, the cake is steamed and ready to enjoy. The sweet aroma of palm sugar, the richness of coconut, the nutty flavor of beans, and the chewiness of glutinous rice all blend together in this small, beautiful cake.

For the Khmer people, katum cake is also a symbol of cultural tradition. During festivals, meticulously wrapped katum cakes are neatly arranged on offering trays, presented to Buddha and ancestors, expressing reverence and wishes for peace.

Reaching out to the open sea

In recent years, many families in An Giang have developed their traditional cake-making craft towards commercial production. The products are packaged, labeled, and distributed through retail stores and supermarkets. Typical examples include Tien Anh almond cakes (Cho Moi commune), Thuy Tien steamed rice cakes (My Duc commune), and Huu Nghi sticky rice cakes (Long Kien commune)... As a result, these simple, traditional cakes have transcended their local boundaries, becoming distinctive commercial products of the province.

To support artisans, the An Giang Provincial Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion has organized training programs on processing skills, packaging design, trademark registration, etc., for traditional cake businesses. Simultaneously, it will organize the Southern Vietnam Traditional Cake Festival - An Giang in 2024 and 2025.

On the other hand, in the trend of developing experiential tourism, many destinations that are traditional craft villages or households making traditional cakes have become attractive stops for tourists. The traditional Cham cake kitchen of artisan Rofiah (Chau Phong commune) has been chosen by travel companies as a stop for both domestic and foreign tourists for many years. Most tourists enjoy experiencing the cake-making process and savoring the hot cakes fresh from the oven.

Notably, in 2024, An Giang province set a record for "100 traditional cakes made from palm sugar," recognized by the Vietnam Record Organization (VietKings). With the participation of hundreds of artisans and production facilities from various localities, the event not only demonstrated the enduring vitality of traditional cakes but also opened up a new direction in combining culture, tourism, and commerce.

Text and photos: TAY XUYEN

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/tinh-dat-tinh-nguoi-qua-chiec-banh-que-a202607.html