Buzz
Alongside the abundant family feast on Tet day, there are also 4 types of Chinese New Year cakes displayed indoors to wish for luck, prosperity, and peace for the family in the new year.
Admire 4 Eye-catching Chinese New Year Cakes in Saigon
Family Cake
Among the 4 types of Chinese New Year cakes, the 'Family Cake' must be mentioned. This cake is made from glutinous rice flour, often used for ceremonial offerings in Chinese culture and can be served as a dessert or snack. The name 'Family Cake' symbolizes luck and prosperity for the whole year, and it is often eaten on the occasion of Tet Doan Ngo.
Moreover, this type of cake is very sticky, so it is also considered a dish for the Kitchen Gods to ensure that this deity does not report anything negative about the family to the Jade Emperor. Instead, it reports only good things to bring more luck to the family.
Treat yourself with the exquisite 'Family Cake' made from smooth glutinous rice flour blended with honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds before being steamed to perfection. Although sharing the same name and ingredients, the 'Family Cake' in Saigon differs from its counterparts in Quang Nam, Central Vietnam, by its color and decoration: Saigon's 'Family Cake' comes in only two colors, white and yellow, with red characters printed on top.
Sugar Cake
In Saigon, you'll encounter on the streets of the Chinese community various sugar cakes crafted into intricate shapes and colors, deeply rooted in worship customs. Examples include cakes shaped like dragons, peaches, mandarin oranges, pomelos, and lotus flowers. Each shape symbolizes a different meaning, such as dragons representing divinity, nobility, wealth, and high status according to Eastern beliefs; peaches symbolize longevity; and mandarin oranges, sounding similar to the word 'gold' in Chinese, bring luck.
Fortune Cake
Fortune Cakes, also known as 'wealth pouch' cakes, resemble pomegranates and are primarily made from rice flour or wheat flour mixed with malt. The filling includes shredded sugar, roasted peanuts mixed with glutinous rice. Craftsmen shape the cakes into rounds, cover them with sesame seeds, and form them into flower petals before deep-frying until crispy. When shaken lightly, they produce a sound inside. 'Wealth pouch' refers to 'golden purse,' symbolizing the aspirations of businesspeople and service providers.
Prosperity Cake
Fortune Cake is made from a spongy material similar to sponge cakes or chiffon cakes. The main ingredient is fermented rice flour, baked or steamed until it spreads out into four petals like a flower.
The name of the cake in Chinese is also a homonym describing the process of the cake 'blooming.' It's often presented by the Chinese on New Year's occasions to pray for prosperity, wealth, luck in business, and bring peace for the following year.
According to Mytour
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Reference: Mytour Travel Guide
MytourNovember 11, 2022
