Tastes of Tet in all three regions of Vietnam

The curves of this S-shaped land embrace its tri-regions, namely Vietnam North, Central Coasts and South, each of which boasts exclusive patterns in their own festive cuisine to celebrate the cultural diversity. Through ups and downs, these true values and profound implications of traditional festivities remain intact in several layers of Vietnamese lifestyle.

The exquisite Northern style

Speaking of Tet food in the North, banh chung always makes the top of the list. The glutinous rice cake with mung bean and pork belly filling, wrapped in dong (phrynium leaves) has been long playing an important role in the history of Vietnamese communities. The scene of all family members gathering around a hot stove with the boiling banh chung pot on top has a special effect in releasing one’s mind from the hustle and bustle of life. As part of a traditional Tet meal, banh chung is usually served with pickled onion.

Banh chung by all means becomes the most typical dish of Northern style feast.

Thit dong, or meat jelly, is a familiar dish that best represents the Northern cuisine in this festive season. The dish contains pork or pork leg, black fungus and black pepper. Sometimes pork rind and agar are added. The dish is usually served cold, straight from the fridge with hot rice, which produces an icy, tingly feeling at the tongue tip. Having meat jelly with banh chung and pickled onion is all one drools for on Tet holiday.

Red sticky rice, or xoi gac, is among fascinating sides for Tet’s Northern style offerings. Starting from the 12th month of the lunar calendar, when most families are busy shopping for Tet, ladies go to the markets to buy some cochinchin gourds for their sticky rice recipe. The dish’s tangerine color reflects a sumptuous wish for good luck through the coming year. Over the altar, the vibrant reddish hue immerses itself with other dishes’ colorful presentation to create such a delicious canvas of traditional cuisine.

Xoi gac represents good luck in a Tet-themed banquet table.

Fried spring roll (or cha gio in the South) is a special kind of entrée in Vietnamese cuisine and a typical dish for Tet in the North. Bite-sized chunks of meaty filling in golden brown rice paper are deep fried. The splendid combination of pork, beaten egg, black fungus and bean sprout is dubbed one of Vietnamese national dishes.

Fried spring roll is dubbed one of the national dishes.

The bold Southern style

During Tet, when banh chung is the North’s pride, the South is elated to present banh tet. Despite a similar set of ingredients, banh tet differs from banh chung by the wrapping, which makes use of banana leaves instead of dong. Besides mung bean and pork belly, its filling also varies with black cowpea, banana or mix. Banh tet is usually prepared a half month in advance. After presenting on the altar as offerings to ancestors, the rest are used to gift. Banh tet is often served with braised pork, pickled takana and rakkyo to bring out distinct flavours.

Banh tet is the Southern version of banh chung.

According to an old belief from the South, eating bitter gourd soup will get rid of troubles and misfortune to start a new year of success. The soup is not something to be missed out on when attending a Southern style feast. Bitter gourd, as its name suggests, can challenge any diner’s palate, however, turns out to have some healthy assets.

Stuffed bitter gourd soup is a good tonic recipe.

Similar to pickled onion in the North, pickled rakkyo is Tet specialty of the South. Fresh rakkyo is rinsed and sun-dried before placing in a clean jar with sugar. The tightly capped jar is then put away for 10 days until shrunk in its own juice. Pickled rakkyo is often served with dried shrimp. The humble side dish has a sweet sour taste, along with its crispy texture, which turns on appetite throughout the meal.

Pickled rakkyo is always among top choice for Tet traditional food in the South.

Braised pork and egg is an inevitable dish on the table of Southern style meal. The making of the dish is pretty easy for every family in this country. For Southern people, the caramelized brown pork belly cubes are usually paired with bitter gourd soup, which makes them the “happy couple” of Tet.

Braised pork belly and egg is usually paired with bitter gourd soup.

The abundant Central style

People from the Central Coasts also celebrate Tet with banh tet, just like the South. Besides, they feature different types of cakes such as banh in (tapioca cake with mung bean paste), banh to (sticky rice cake), banh la rang bua (steamed rice cake).

Banh in is a sweet snack originating from Binh Dinh Province. The recipe includes sticky rice powder, which is easy to find and make into the most important dessert on the offerings table during Tet. Rice grains are finely ground with sugar and mung bean to create special sweets that represents a cultural aspect of the middle land.

Banh in is one of the traditional snack of the Central Coasts.

In Quang Nam, banh to is a cake for Tet. Its origin has been varied. Legend has it that Chinese immigrants once called it “lung ku”, some say the cake comes from the North of Vietnam, where Au Co – mother of all Vietnamese first taught them to make it. Others argued this cake is one of offering items to the ancestors, which makes up its name (to means “ancestors”). The key ingredients are sticky rice, sugar, sesame and ginger.

Banh to, which is a local Tet sweets, originated from Quang Nam.

Banh la rang bua (plough hook cake), or banh te (steamed rice cake), earns its name thanks to the shape. This is a traditional treat made only for every full moon, prayer or Tet celebrations. The ingredients consist rice flour for wrapping layer, along with fried shallot, minced pork belly, black fungus and black pepper. The cake is served with fine fish sauce.

Besides other traditional cakes, Tet meals in the Central also includes savoury treats such as pickled daikon, tre (fermented pork rind), etc.

Thanh Hoa Province’s banh la rang bua.

During Tet, Northern people serve banh chung with pickled onion, the Southern have banh tet coupled with dried shrimp and pickled rakkyo, whereas, the Central prefer banh tet to pair with pickled daikon. The dish has carrot, papaya, cucumber, daikon and rakkyo as compartments, which are all brined and served as crispy sides. That may sound simple but take a lot of time and dedication to realize.

People from the Central Coasts prefer pickled daikon as Tet special treat.

Made from inexpensive parts of a pig such as ears, nose, rind and pork belly, tre is considered “food of the poor”. However, the fermented dish is always a melody to the tongue. Despite different methods used, tre is a sumptuous combination of salty, sweet, sour, spicy and astringent tastes. Tre is made in honor of one’s ancestors as well as a good snack for cozy gatherings in the first days of new year.

Tre is a typical dish from the Central Coasts during Tet holidays.

Writer: Lan Khue/ Nguoilaodong

Translator: Sandra Phan