Delicious cakes on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month

The full moon of July - Vu Lan festival, the day of filial piety, the day of forgiveness of the deceased - is an occasion for descendants to remember their ancestors, grandparents, and parents. On the offering trays of the ethnic groups in Tuyen Quang, besides fruits, sticky rice and meat, there are indispensable traditional cakes with the flavor of the mountains and forests and containing the beauty of community culture.

Tay people's bird cakes and bamboo shoot cakes.

Tay people's sticky rice cake

Banh gai is a typical cake of the Tay people in many localities of the province. The leaves of the gai tree are cooked, pounded and mixed with sticky rice flour, creating a sticky, shiny black crust. The filling is usually made from green beans, grated coconut, peanuts, sometimes adding fatty meat to increase the fattiness. The cake is wrapped in dried banana leaves, tied with simple strings. On the full moon day, Banh gai is not only a delicious dish but also shows the Tay people's respect for their ancestors.

Banh Lang of San Diu people

For the San Diu people, Banh Lang is an indispensable traditional dish on the full moon of the seventh lunar month. The glutinous rice flour is rolled into balls, wrapped in wild banana leaves and tied into pairs to hang “dangling” - hence the name Banh Lang. The cooked cakes have a fragrant, sticky texture and are often eaten with molasses or wild honey. For the San Diu people, Banh Lang symbolizes family unity, fullness and reunion.

Cao Lan people's woof cake

The Cao Lan people have a special kind of cake called chim gau cake. To make a standard chim gau cake, the Cao Lan people often have to go to the forest to find green pandan leaves. Only by wrapping chim gau cake with wild pandan leaves can the cake have its characteristic aroma. The cake is made from sticky rice, the filling is usually green beans, sesame, roasted peanuts or minced meat, skillfully wrapped in fresh banana leaves. After steaming, the cake has a mild aroma, a sweet and sticky taste. For the Cao Lan people, chim gau cake is a dish associated with the full moon of the seventh lunar month, expressing respect to ancestors and wishes for good crops and a peaceful family.

These simple yet sophisticated cakes not only nourish the taste buds, but also preserve long-standing cultural memories. Each cake is a reminder for descendants to remember their roots, cherish traditions and preserve the identity of their homeland Tuyen Quang .

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/van-hoa/am-thuc/202509/banh-ngon-ram-thang-bay-48d20a6/