As the legend goes, the Banh Chung came into being under King Hung, the naitonal founder, 3,000-4,000 years ago. Prince Lang Lieu, one of the sons of King Hung, made round and square cakes: the round Banh Day symbolizing the sky, and the square Banh Chung symbolizing the earth (under the ancient Viet's perception) and offered them to his Father on the occasion of Spring, and ever since the Banh Chung has been a "must" during the Tet holidays.

Banh Chung is made of glutinous rice, pork meat, and green beans paste wrapped in a square of bamboo leaves, giving the rice a green colour after boiling.

The wrapping works are very painstaking. The sticky rice must be very good and was soaked in water the day before.

The pork meat for filling must be pig with full lean, aft and peel. Rice cake is wrapped square, not tight nor loose. Rice cake should be boiled at once, by wood, woodduct and rice husk is better. In the tradition of Vietnam, before the New Year one or two days, by the warm fire, the family sit aside telling the past stories and ready for a New Year with hopeful wishes of the best things. Rice cakes, served with lean meat pie and salted sour onions, are available all the time but mostly during Tet.

The Banh Chung is very nutritious, has an original tasty flavour and may be kept for a long time. All of its ingredients and materials are all medicines (according to Oriental Medicine) that act to keep harmony between the positive and the negative, thus helping the blood circulate well and preventing diseases. Certainly, no other cakes could be of such cultural significance and produce such medical effects as the green Banh Chung of Vietnam.

Source: vnstyle