The Legend of Banh Chung and Banh Day in Vietnamese New Year

Then Lieu watched the goddess slowly keep pulling out some boat-like green leaves. The goddess began to explain as she instructed him:

"This cake is from the earth. There is dirt and there is green; from the color of the farm to the forest there should be a rich green color; and its shape should be a perfect square. Within the cake there should be meat; along with it are beans so it would have the meaning of the earth and its creatures, and also the tree (Banh Chung)."

"Then take the rice and place it over so it will have a light chewy texture. Roll the cake out so that it represents the heavens: the color has to be white, the shape has to be round and long like the sky (Banh Day)"

When he woke up, Lieu began to bake with the idea of the cake from his dream.

The day when all the princes came and brought their food home for the contest was a day that was most festive in Phong Chau. There were crowds of people packed in one place. People from across the land used this opportunity to come and attend a very festive Tet (Lunar New Year) that had rarely taken place. To set things off there would be a contest of the dishes, and in the end there would be a celebration and the inaugural ceremony of the new king.

Exactly at the time of sunrise is when the emperor Hung got in his carriage to go and begin the ceremony to the ancestors. The waving flags and sounding of drums echoed everywhere, causing the people's ears to tremble and their eyes to ache. Everyone was waiting with anticipation as the judges evaluated each of the royals' dishes.

Drum roll, please...

The time of waiting had arrived. All the dishes that the princes brought with them, such as nem cong (peafowl meat), cha phuong (pork paste in shape of phoenix), bear claw, and gan te, were nothing compared to the two old fashioned cakes of Lieu. Each person who looked at his dishes would shake his head in disapproval and mock the prince in his face.

However, after everyone tasted Lieu's dishes, each person completely changed his opinion and would than praised the food. Old Lac praised:

"This is a delicacy that is unique and simple, made from everyday ingredients."

King Hung himself was taken by surprise at the meaning of the cakes that he had just eaten. The emperor paced back and forth examining each of the cakes that had not been touch. He then summoned Lieu up to the throne to question him on how the cakes came to be.

The prince truthfully told the king about every detail of his dream. A little past noon, King Hung announced the contest results to his sons, "The eighteenth prince won first place and will have the throne." Then the king held the two cakes up for everyone to see and proudly told everyone what made him choose these above everything else.

"This isn't just delicious and precious but it brings a lot of special meaning. The dish expresses the fidelity of a child, honoring his parents like the heaven and earth; it holds the sincerity of the nation's land. It is very easy to make and comes from single precious jewel in this whole heaven and earth, and each of these jewels everyone can make and obtain. Only a gifted person can think of cakes like these…"

After that, each year the city would have a custom on Tet that each person would make two different kinds of cakes called banh chung and banh day to pay tribute to the ancestors. Prince Lieu was known as Tiet Lieu Vuong after he became king, which means Hung Vuong the Seventh.

Soon after that there were many princes who became jealous and began to become hostile with Lang Lieu. For that reason, when the old king passed away, each of them began to claim part of the land as his own. Each prince would build a fence around their area and guard themselves with the intention of being again Tiet Lieu Vuong.

Due to Vietnamese New Year, we wanted to share some of our history and culture with you. We hope you like it. As always, thank you for coming by. If you have any question, do let me know. From where I am and wherever you are have delicious New Year. Don't eat too much now, hehe.

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