Traditional cakes in today's life

(GLO)- Traditional cakes continue to be present in the lives of Vietnamese people today. They are not only a dish but also contribute to enriching and diversifying cultural life. The cake-making profession has also been passed down through many generations, not only bringing in income but also strengthening the position of women.

At the Traditional Cake Making Contest organized by the Provincial Women's Union in coordination with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the occasion of the 233rd anniversary of Emperor Quang Trung's death (1792 - 2025) at Quang Trung Museum (Tay Son commune), 8 teams from the Women's Unions of communes and wards in the province brought to the Contest special trays of traditional cakes.

Types of cakes participating in the Traditional Cake Making Contest of the Women's Union of Tay Son commune. Photo: Dinh Ngoc

According to Ms. Dang Thi Hong Hanh, Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union, the Organizing Committee of the Contest requires teams to directly make one or two traditional cakes (Tet cake, Chung cake, It cake, Thuan cake, Jam cake, Phu The cake...) right on the spot. Thereby, people and tourists not only enjoy the finished products but also have the opportunity to witness each stage of making cakes. Thereby, honoring the ingenuity and diligence of women, at the same time contributing to the preservation and maintenance of traditional cake making professions that are being pushed into the danger of being lost by modern life.

Because they contain many cultural values, the cakes are not simply food, but also contain the love and passion of women. According to Ms. Ngo Thi Thao (Binh Khe commune), although traditional cakes are very hard to make, they are not absent on any festival or death anniversary of the villagers.

“Where I live, whenever there is a wedding or death anniversary, people gather together to make sweet banh tet, banh chung, banh it… out of their sincere hearts, first to offer to their ancestors, then as gifts for relatives and neighbors. Coming to the Traditional Cake Making Contest, our team also chose to make typical, delicious cakes to offer to Emperor Quang Trung, as a way to continue and spread traditional cultural values,” Ms. Thao shared.

According to Ms. Ha Thi Giang Thao, President of the Provincial Women's Union, activities such as the Traditional Cake Making Contest have contributed significantly to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values ​​in modern life. "In the coming time, the Provincial Women's Union will expand the scale of the Contest so that communes and regions in the new Gia Lai province can participate, creating more unique culinary cultural products to introduce to tourists," Ms. Thao said.

Women show off their pancake-making skills at the contest. Photo: Dinh Ngoc

If in the past, traditional cakes were mainly served on traditional occasions or sold in rural markets, now these cakes have gone beyond the bamboo fences of villages, participating in culinary cultural competitions, becoming tourist specialties, even appearing on flights, contributing to spreading Vietnamese cuisine to international tourists.

The appearance of gai leaf cake - an OCOP product of some localities in the contest is a clear proof of that journey to reach out. As shared by Ms. Nguyen Thi My Phuc, owner of Hoang Dong cake establishment (Binh An commune), currently every day the establishment produces up to 3,000 it cakes and hundreds of other traditional cakes such as thuan cakes, jam cakes, phu the cakes... to meet the needs of domestic and foreign customers.

“Previously, I only made cakes to sell at markets in the commune, but now customers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and even abroad also place orders. We have invested in machinery and vacuum packaging so that the banh it la gai can be kept for a long time, is easy to carry far away, and still retains its traditional flavor,” Ms. Phuc shared.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Tinh, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Tay Son commune, in addition to Banh It La Gai - a famous local product, women in the commune also develop their economy by making other types of cakes such as Banh Tro, Banh Nep, Banh It Trang, Banh Dong Suong... In particular, in the commune there is a whole village making Banh Chung and Banh Tet which has been maintained in stable operation, supporting many generations of local people.

“It can be seen that, thanks to the quality of traditional cakes, many establishments, even without a signboard, are still famous and are known and supported by many customers near and far,” Ms. Tinh emphasized.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/banh-co-truyen-trong-doi-song-hom-nay-post567961.html