SOUTHERN SMALL PYRAMIDAL GLUTINOUS RICE CAKE
There is a folk poem that says: “Climb a mountain; Catch a peacock; Brought it back to grandpa; He gave me a small pyramidal glutinous rice cake… “- Small pyramidal glutinous rice cake, also known as Bá trạng cake, is a popular type of Southern cakes which can be found everywhere and vary through regions. Ingredients include sticky rice, peanuts, Chinese mushrooms, green beans, sausages, salted eggs, greasy meat, and dried shrimps. They are wrapped in banana leaves or marantacea leaves, and tied by bamboo strings. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Vietnamese have sweet brown translucent small pyramidal glutinous rice cakes while the Chinese small have the typical pyramidal glutinous rice cakes. Nowadays, as other kinds of cakes are crowding the market, small pyramidal glutinous rice cakes still carry many special traditional values that are meaningful to many people.
Soc Trang small pyramidal glutinous rice cake: Those who visit Soc Trang often buy home specialties such as Pia cake and sesame cake for relatives and friends. Small pyramidal glutinous rice cakes are one of the specialties that local people would like to introduce to visitors, sending out love from their hometown. At 4 o’clock every day, newly baked cakes have been sold on Le Loi Street in Soc Trang for over 30 years. Main ingredients include sticky rice, green beans, pork, sugar, and salt. The vendor has added salted egg yolks and cat mushroom to create a unique flavor, distinguish these cakes from others. The cakes are wrapped in banana leaves, a very popular leaf in the South. Using a string to tie the cake requires meticulousness and skills so that cakes are firmly tied without bursting or tearing the leaves. After wrapping, they are steamed to cook. The fresh green look of boiled banana leaves and the heat radiating from the steamed cake are enough to trigger one’s appetite. Cutting through the cake, judging its humble look, one would fail to see the hospitality, generosity and love of Soc Trang people hidden inside. Taking a bite, one can feel the taste of sticky rice, beans, cat mushrooms, shrimp meat, all mixed together to create a sweet fragrance – a wonderful combination.
Da Loc small pyramidal glutinous rice cake: The sticky rice is locally grown in Tra Vinh province. Sauropus leaves are grinded into juice and mixed with sticky rice. Green beans are cooked, crushed, and mixed with greasy meats and egg yolks. The mixture is made into small balls. Cakes are wrapped in banana leaves in the same folding method for other cakes. They are tied together in a bunch before being steamed. Cut well-cooked cakes into halves to see the beauty of different blended colors – the green leave outside, the red salted egg yolk in the middle, and the brown white greasy meat. The fragrance is explosive of sauropus leaves, sticky rice, and coconut milk. In one bite, we will feel the elasticity of sticky rice and the tasty richness of the stuffing. Today, amid the competition of many modern pastries with diverse designs, these cakes still have the advantage of being cheap and full of energy for a day at work. Most importantly, they play an important role in the market, a symbol of traditional values of the countryside along Cuu Long River.
Collected by Linh Trang
