Vietnamese people have a very good habit of saving, which are reflected
by the regular meals – rice with a main dishes (meat or fish/shrimp), a
vegetable food and a bowl of soup. Vietnam food is thus often jokingly
labelled "food for peasants". However, this statement no longer holds
water during Tet holiday,
when Vietnamese let themselves taste more protein-rich and
sophisticatedly made dishes. Following are the most typical food found
in Vietnamese' Tet holiday:
Banh chung / banh tet (Square cake)
Banh Chung (steamed
square cake) and its Southern variety called Banh Tet - is unique to
Vietnam's Tet holiday, though many other countries (China, Japan,
Korean, Singapore, Taiwan) celebrate this holiday as well. Banh Chung is
a food made from glutinous rice, mung bean and pork, added with many
other ingredients. Banh Chung is covered by green leaves (usually banana
leaves) and symbolizes the Earth, invented by the prince Lang Lieu from
Hung King dynasty. Besides traditional reason, Banh Chung is chosen as
the main food for Tet holiday because of it can last long for days in
the severe weather of Vietnam (Banh Chung can survive at room temperature for nearly 1 month).
Vietnamese sausage:
Gio Cha (Vietnamese
ham/sausage) is another traditional food in Tet holiday, and usually
served with Xoi (sticky rice) and Banh Chung. Gio is different from Cha
since Gio is boiled and Cha is deep-fried. Vietnamese people make Gio
from lean meat, added fish sauce and covered by leaves then boiled for
hours. Cha is also made of lean pork and ingredients, but Cha is not
wrapped by leaves and boiled but deep-fried in oil. Cha just survive for
some days when Gio can last for month due to its covers. There are many
kind of Gio, categorized by its origins: Gio Lua (made from pork), Gio
Ga (made from chicken), Gio Bo (made from beef). All these types are
used not only in Tet holidays but also over the year.
Sticky rice - xoi:
Xoi (Sticky rice) is also a very important part of Tet holiday
in Vietnam, since the meals to worship the ancestors can not missing
this dish. Moreover, along with Banh Chung, xoi is the main staple foods
for Tet holiday. Xoi in Tet holidays can be seen in many forms: Xoi Lac
(sticky rice with peanuts), Xoi Do Xanh (sticky rice with mung bean), Xoi Gac
(sticky rice with special “gac” fruit). Among these types, xoi gac is
favorite the most by people because of its special red color –
symbolizes the luck and new achievement for the New Year. Xoi is usually
served with Gio Cha or boiled chicken in Tet meals. Sometimes it can be
served with Che (sweet soup) like a dessert.
Boiled chicken - Thit ga:
Thit ga (boiled or steamed chicken) plays an important role in Tet
holiday cuisine because all the tribute meals to the ancestors must
contain a boiled chicken, whole or chopped. Chicken meat in Tet meals
are various in forms: usually chicken are boiled and sliced, but
sometimes people can place the whole chicken in a plate, or nowadays
some families use roasted or fired chicken to replace the original
boiled ones. Chicken meat is served with Xoi (sticky rice) and Banh
Chung, and become one of the most popular main dishes in Tet holidays.
Boiled chicken are always go with sliced lemon leaves and
salt-and-pepper sauce, as a tradition. Chicken (especially bones, legs
and heads) can be used to prepare the broths for other soups.
Mut - Candied fruits
Mut Tet (Tet jam) is not a food to serve in a meal during Tet holiday,
but more like a snack to welcome guests in this special period. Mut is
always kept in beautiful boxes and placed at the table in the living
room, and it is the main food for the owners and guests to taste when
they’re talking, enjoyed over a cup of tea. Unlike Western jam, which is
usually in liquid form and served with bread, "Vietnamese jam" is
mainly in dry form, usually dried fruits and some kind of seeds (pumpkin
seeds, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds). This once-in-year mix of
snack is very large in variety, with so many tastes: ginger, carrot,
coconut, pineapple, pumpkin, lotus seed, star fruit, sweet potato.
Nowadays, cake and sweet are slowly replacing jam in Tet period, but
many people still love the taste this unique food – an angle of Vietnamese culture.
