12 Traditional Tet Dishes in the Traditional Feast

According to customs in many Asian countries, Lunar New Year is the time for families to gather in a joyful atmosphere to welcome the new year. Delicious dishes displayed on the New Year's feast also play an important role in expressing the traditional culinary culture of each country.

In this article, Klook Vietnam will take you on a journey from traditional Tet dishes in Vietnam to unique delicacies from other countries during this special occasion.

Enjoying Tet cuisine is not only about taste but also a profound journey into the culture and spiritual values of the Vietnamese people. Klooker suggests you try these characteristic Tet dishes that cannot be missed on the feast table from three regions below:

Banh chung and banh tet have long been timeless symbols of Vietnamese Tet cuisine. In the North, banh chung is often wrapped in square shapes symbolizing the harmony of heaven and earth to offer to ancestors during Tet and Hung Kings' death anniversary. In the Central and Southern regions, people prefer to display banh tet, also known as cylindrical or square banh don, during Tet. These cakes, wrapped in long cylinders, symbolize the mother's embrace, embodying strong family bonds.

The ingredients for making these cakes are similar, consisting of glutinous rice, pork, and green beans wrapped in dong or banana leaves. In addition to the traditional savory filling, there are now sweet and vegetarian fillings available to cater to different preferences. Especially, the cakes need to be continuously boiled for 8-12 hours, making the tradition of watching over the cakes as they cook in the days leading up to Tet even more meaningful.

Vietnamese folk poetry has a verse for Tet: “pork, fat, pickled onions, red couplets - bamboo pole, firecrackers, green banh chung”. In addition to the main dishes, traditional Tet feasts are incomplete without a plate of pickled onions or pickled scallions.

The sight of mothers and grandmothers peeling each bulb of onion, scallion to soak in brine is a sign that Tet is approaching. Well-soaked pickled onions will have a smooth white color, a light sour taste, a crispy texture, and no pungent odor. This rustic dish is particularly suitable for relieving fullness after enjoying a hearty Tet feast. Moreover, this duo also aids digestion and reduces bloating effectively, perfect to accompany oily dishes in daily meals.

Fresh spring rolls, also known as summer rolls, are a popular Tet dish originating from Southern Vietnam. This is a fresh and delicious dish that contributes to enriching the traditional Tet menu.

Thin, flexible rice paper wraps around fresh ingredients such as boiled meat, fresh shrimp, various raw vegetables, and vermicelli, then dipped in flavorful garlic chili fish sauce. All blend together to create visually appealing and refreshing spring rolls, suitable for everyone's taste. You can easily customize this dish into different rolls to serve after the Tet holiday.

While northern Tet cuisine is characterized by pork aspic, in the South, there's braised pork with eggs, lovingly called thịt kho hột vịt or thịt kho tàu. Braised pork is not only delicious but also a convenient dish, carrying the flavor of home.

Pork belly and whole chicken or duck eggs are cooked together in rich coconut water seasoned with sesame oil, sugar, fish sauce, and spices. Each piece of tender, fragrant meat soaked in colorful broth, combined with the creamy taste of eggs, creates a perfect dish with hot rice. If you're concerned about greasiness, pickled vegetables are a suitable accompaniment. Families often prepare a large pot of braised pork to enjoy gradually during Tet or for daily meals.

From ancestral altars to the center of the Tet feast, you often encounter plates of beautifully arranged sausages and pâtés. These are not only among the culinary gems of Vietnam but also symbolize wishes for a warm and prosperous family life in the new year.

Vietnamese sausages and pâtés come in various shapes and ingredients such as pork sausage, beef sausage, flower sausage, head cheese, beef tendon, and pig ear sausage. The soft, fragrant meat is wrapped in banana leaves and can be enjoyed directly or used in various other dishes. The flavor is savory, easy to eat, and suitable for inviting guests on many special occasions.

Fermented pork roll - an indispensable Tet dish for Vietnamese people. Fermented pork rolls from each region offer unique flavors, with the most famous being the Thanh Hoa fermented pork roll.

This specialty is made from finely ground pork seasoned with spices, mixed with toasted rice powder. The outside of the roll is lined with slices of garlic, chili, guava leaves, or mulberry leaves, then wrapped in a thick layer of cotton cloth and banana leaves before being fermented. In the North, fermented pork rolls are often small cylindrical shapes with thin skin, fragrant with pepper and can be eaten raw with chili sauce. In the Central region, the rolls are often square and served with sweet and sour fish sauce. In the South, fermented pork rolls are often served as salads or snacks. Enjoying these chewy, crispy, sour, and spicy fermented pork rolls during Tet is a unique culinary experience of Vietnam.

Chinese sausage, or lap xuong, is a traditional Tet dish originating from China. According to East Asian beliefs, the pink-red color of these sausages brings luck and prosperity in the new year.

The main ingredients of this dish are lean pork and pork fat minced and mixed with spices, then stuffed into dried pig intestines and naturally fermented until cooked. Nowadays, there are many types of fresh and dried lap xuong available in the market, with new flavors such as shrimp, beef, mixed,... Additionally, lap xuong can be stored for a long time and conveniently prepared as a main dish or served with rice or bread daily.

Many families in the South choose to cook bitter melon soup with stuffed meat as a dish for Lunar New Year. Locals believe that bitter melon symbolizes dispelling worries and difficulties of the old year and welcoming a new year full of joy and luck.

Bitter melon soup has a refreshing taste due to the combination of the mild bitterness of bitter melon with the sweet aroma of meat and mushrooms. Although the ingredients are simple, presenting it in an appetizing way requires meticulous and skillful hands of the cook. Moreover, bitter melon soup with stuffed meat has cooling and detoxifying effects, which are beneficial for health.

When it comes to Tet food, every adult and child remembers the abundant trays of Tet jam whenever visiting relatives and friends to exchange New Year's greetings. Traditional Tet jam is not only a delicious snack but also symbolizes reunion, happiness, and joy on every Tet occasion.

Tet jam is usually made from various dried fruits and vegetables, offering a rich variety of flavors and colors. Among them, the most popular include coconut jam, ginger jam, tomato jam, lotus seed jam,... The joy of traditional Vietnamese Tet lies in sipping hot tea, enjoying the sweet and crunchy texture of various jams, and chatting with loved ones.

Hue royal cakes, also known as 'banh in' or 'coterie cakes,' were once cakes offered to the kings during the Nguyen Dynasty and are now a specialty Tet dish from the ancient capital of Hue. Hue royal cakes embody the beauty of traditional culinary art and carry many meaningful blessings.

Despite their simple, pure white appearance, making Hue royal cakes requires great skill and precision. The cakes are made from simple ingredients such as glutinous rice flour, tapioca flour, mung beans, and sugar, then molded into flat round cakes and engraved with Han characters for Prosperity - Fortune - Longevity on the surface. These cakes are also suitable for offering on ancestral altars and serving guests due to their unique five-color wrapping paper.

Boiled chicken, a staple on ancestral altars and important feasts of the Vietnamese, symbolizes a prosperous, warm, and abundant new year.

Vietnamese boiled chicken is boiled until tender, with shiny skin, then chopped into small pieces and neatly arranged on a plate. Despite its simplicity, this dish requires professional cooking and chopping techniques to preserve the deliciousness of the chicken. When eating, the chicken is dipped in salt and pepper, along with fragrant lime leaves, completing a traditional Northern Tet feast.

Fried spring rolls often grace Tet feasts and are among Vietnam's quintessential dishes. These round, well-filled rolls, combining savory vegetarian fillings, not only offer delicious flavors but also reflect the nation's cultural identity.

The ingredients for the filling of fried spring rolls are diverse, typically including ground meat, eggs, vegetables, mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and glass noodles. Then, the cook skillfully rolls the rice paper into small rolls for frying until golden and crispy. In addition, fried spring rolls are called 'cha ram' in the Central region and 'cha gio' in the South, with different fillings. They are best enjoyed with fresh vegetables and a special homemade fish sauce. Some popular accompaniments include Hanoi-style vermicelli with grilled pork and tofu with shrimp paste.

Embarking on a culinary journey across different cultural backgrounds during Tet will provide you with a multi-dimensional view of how various countries celebrate this significant holiday. Let's explore Tet dishes in some Asian countries with Klooker!

Traditional Tet cuisine in Japan is called 'osechi ryori'. Osechi ryori is a stacked box containing 3-5 layers of various accompanying dishes such as rolled eggs, dried fish, black beans, herring roe, etc. Each layer of food symbolizes profound wishes for health, prosperity, and abundance in the new year. Additionally, kagamimochi cakes, osechi, ozouni soup, mochi, seven-herb rice porridge, and long-life noodles are also essential in Japanese New Year's feasts.

In South Korea, the Lunar New Year, known as Seollal, is one of the country's three major holidays. Koreans welcome the new year with traditional dishes such as mixed glass noodles (japchae), rice cake soup (tteokguk), savory pancakes (jeon), grilled beef (bulgogi), black sesame seed candy, braised beef ribs, sweet rice cake (yaksik), cinnamon tea, and more. A unique culinary tradition encapsulates within the warm Tet feast of the Korean people.

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Chunjie, is a significant family reunion occasion in China. Some essential dishes for the Chinese New Year feast include dumplings, reunion cakes, longevity noodles, fish, glutinous rice cakes, rice balls, oranges, and tangerines. These Tet dishes often have auspicious pronunciations or are made from ingredients symbolizing good fortune according to Chinese customs.

In Hong Kong, Tet brings a variety of traditional and unique delicacies. Beef tripe, dim sum, turnip cakes, barbecue pork buns, roasted suckling pig, fermented tofu, fish ball curry, young egg tarts, fish congee, mock shark fin soup, and egg tarts are all characteristic Tet dishes in Hong Kong.

Tet cuisine in Singapore reflects a blend of Chinese culture and diverse international cuisine. Traditional dishes like dumplings, rice cakes, waxed pork ribs, citrus fruits for dessert, and preserved fruits are common. Additionally, Singaporean New Year feasts often feature unique hotpot or stew dishes such as prosperity toss (lo hei yusheng) and treasure pot (pen cai poon choi).

Thailand is renowned for its rich and spicy cuisine, attracting tourists with its distinctive flavors. Songkran Festival in Thailand also brings a variety of delicious dishes. Some essential Tet dishes here include khao chae, kaeng phed (red curry), sour soup with fish, chicken wrapped in pandan leaves, and tom yum soup...

Travelers visiting Malaysia are familiar with famous dishes such as laksa noodles, satay skewers, rojak salad, and roti canai... Especially during the Tet holiday, tourists have the opportunity to enjoy various traditional sweets unique to this special occasion, such as baba nyonya cakes, kuih bangkit, pineapple cakes, kuih bahulu, and haw flakes candies.

The dishes above represent just a small part of the richness and diversity of Tet cuisine worldwide. Each dish carries a part of the cultural and traditional spirit of each country. Klook Vietnam hopes that your family's Tet feast will also be filled with delicious food and happiness.

Don't forget to visit Klook's travel blog to discover exciting destinations like Kim Son Ninh Binh, Bich Dong Pagoda, Dam Van Long, Infinity Beach Thai Binh, and Ancient Capital Hoa Lu this Tet holiday season. Wishing you a joyful and cozy Tet holiday with your family and loved ones!

Have you tried all of these enticing Tet holiday dishes yet?