Symbol of solidarity, of ancestral merits
An Lac ward (Chi Linh city, Hai Duong province) with a long tradition in making banh giay. Initially, banh giay was only made during festivals, Lunar New Year or ancestral worship occasions. However, with its unique flavor and profound cultural value, making banh giay has become a profession that continues to support many families in the ward.
An Lac shoe cake is not only a delicious dish but also has a special meaning. Traditionally, shoe cake symbolizes purity, fullness and shows respect for ancestors.
Ms. Duong Thi Hoa has represented Hai Duong province in many major festivals, notably 4 times honoring the "Lang Lieu" cake package offered to Hung kings at Hung temple. In each shoe and banh chung competition, Ms. Hoa's team usually has 5 members, including 3 members in her family.
This is the factor that creates a team that is close, united, and proud of family and hometown traditions. Every time they attend the Hung Temple festival, Mrs. Hoa's family not only brings cakes but also carries love and pride in their roots and homeland, the Fatherland.
Ms. Duong Thi Hoa emotionally shared her special feelings when she and her family represented Hai Duong province to make Hung King's offering cakes: "Every time I wrap Hung King's offering cakes, I feel like I carry both the heart and tradition of my family and hometown to my ancestors.
Not only is it a source of pride, but it is also an indescribable sacredness because the cake is not simply a dish, but also a symbol of solidarity, gratitude to ancestors and the thousand-year-old tradition of the Vietnamese people. The feeling of standing in the middle of the Fatherland, offering up the cakes made by hand, is something I will never forget in my whole life".
To have delicious cakes, rice must be delicious first
How to make banh giay in An Lac has been taught through many generations, with meticulous and elaborate stages. An Lac shoe cake stands out with its round, flexible shape, pearl white color, and light aroma from sticky rice. Banh cam luong is a type of yellow sticky rice grown locally, flexible, fragrant and very suitable for the climate and soil of Chi Linh.
At the age of 100, Mr. Duong Van Dam still follows every day every batch of banh chung and every pair of banh giay prepared by his family's children and grandchildren. Mr. Dam still maintains his passion and passion for making cakes, especially the shoe cake dish, a dish associated with family traditions and national traditions.
Nearly a century has passed, but he still remembers every secret to create a traditional flavor, which has made the Duong family's name for generations.
Mr. Dam always takes time to instruct and pass on traditional cake making secrets to his children and grandchildren, such as how to choose rice and make cakes. She always emphasized: "To have delicious cakes, the rice must be delicious first". The type of rice used by the family is yellow sticky rice grown in An Lac region, the ancient rice is only available in An Lac region. This rice has sticky, fragrant seeds and is very unique, helping to create smooth, delicious sticky shoe cakes, a family specialty.
With their rich cultural values and sophisticated shoe brewing skills, the people of An Lac have been contributing significantly to the preservation and promotion of folk traditions, especially during important festivals such as Hung Vuong's Commemoration of the Commemoration of the King's Commemoration.
