Origin of moon cake
According to many documents, moon cakes are native to China. During the Yuan Dynasty, the Han people used rounded cakes to transmit confidentials to the Mongolian uprising. The message was hidden inside the cake, making an appointment with the uprising on the full moon night of August, the brightest moon day. This cake is called Nguyet Binh with a circle symbolizing the moon and union.
When introduced into Vietnam, moon cakes are naturally Vietnameseized and developed into two main types: grilled pies (hard flour shell), flexible cake (soft glutinous rice flour shell), and no need to be fixed. Maybe it’s square, round, even carp or pig …
In fact, there are many heterosexuals about the legend of baked goods and flexible cakes. Which is, this is a cake made by Hang Nga and Uncle Cuoi to attend a baking contest organized by Thien Dinh. And the full moon in August is also the opportunity for Hang Nga and Uncle Cuoi to go down to the world to play and play with the children, which is also the Mid -Autumn Festival. There is also a version that the cake is the product of farmers making to celebrate the new rice season ….
In the past, there were only 2 types of cake. Traditional mixed cake includes pumpkin jam, fat, sausage, pumpkin seeds, roasted sesame seeds, lotus seeds, lemon leaves, mai cinnamon wine … later there is more roasted chicken, char siu, salted eggs … The second type is green bean paste. The flexible cake has more vegetarian cakes. And now, all kinds of people, listed … very tired. From green tea, red beans, cheese, cocoa, coffee, lotus, coconut, coconut nuggets, fresh nuggets, then melted eggs, salted eggs ….
Banh village memory
In the west of West Lake, located next to Thang Long citadel is Xuan Dinh village. Besides the specialty of sapodilla (now almost extinct), the village every occasion of the full moon in August is crowded with buyers and sellers.
It seems that there is no document talking about the exact timeline forming the profession of making baked goods and flexible cakes in Xuan Dinh. Only know, baking is kept through many generations in the family. Now, technology has helped the baking process less hard. About 30 years ago, to make flexible cakes for example, need to choose delicious rice, then roast on charcoal stove with large and deep cast iron pan. People also create shovels of different sizes to stir rice. After roasted rice, it becomes a burn of rice, then started to happen, then brought it to crush into powder. Grapefruit essential oil is also distilled by Xuan Dinh villagers for use. Now, industrial machinery replaces hard stages before. And it seems that the whole village of Xuan Dinh now (now a ward) has no house to keep the charcoal stove (mostly built, built the kitchen itself) or the shovel of the rice island or the old cast iron pan.
That is the kitchen. Even the cake mold is very good. Often the cake molds are made from wood carving villages along Hanoi, or at stores specializing in making molds on Hang Fan Street, To President. Wood used as a cake mold is old and nacre wood, because these two types of wood are durable, smooth, easy to process, and have flexibility, solid level suitable for making cake molds. The mold handle is round. In fact, “making cake” with these wooden molds also needs skills, must be the “familiar hand” to be able to do. If not broken the cake immediately, especially the flexible cake.
Often the worker after completing the shape of the cake will beat the mold to the edge of the table … very assertive, the other hand supports the cake just left from the mold, that’s it. Previously, when coming to Xuan Dinh every Mid -Autumn Festival, people not only smelled grapefruit essential oil and roasted rice, but also heard the sound of a bread.
The plastic cake molds, baked goods are really a work of sculpture with elaborate and enthusiastic lines. Now, asking to chat GPT about plastic cake molds, baked goods, it is “unlucky” to buy with plastic or silicon material and have a spring to push the cake out easy. I really don’t know what to say!
When life has become more nutritious, information about health information about propaganda about the harmful effects of refined sugar, in addition to causing many diseases such as diabetes, blood fat, obesity, it is also the culprit that causes rapid aging, belly fat in women, as if sweets are the enemy of beauty. So, there was a wave of sweets exemption from the daily menu, in which the cakes were identified as “No. 1 enemy”. However, despite knowing the harmful effects, but near the full moon day of August, it seems that many people suddenly forgive sweets. The proof is that people queuated with a whole part of Thuy Khue street or a road in Xuan Dinh to wait for baked goods and flexible cakes. Then even rushed to order “non -marketed cakes” on social networks. Looking around, people who buy are all women …
The writer of this article is also a woman and every full moon in August must definitely make a very solid Thai Nguyen teapot, cut a flexible cake that can be grilled, just enjoy and watch the moon or see “Haha family”. Eating while thinking, eating one is not fat!
