Experience the Delight of Sugarcane Honey Bee Cakes in Nghệ

While rustic, honey bee cakes carry the hidden beauty of traditional cultural heritage and childhood memories for many locals in Diễn Thái commune (Nghệ An). With their sweet and aromatic flavor, these cakes create unforgettable memories with just one taste.

Experience the Delight of Sugarcane Honey Bee Cakes in Nghệ

For generations, honey bee cakes have graced the Tet feasts of the people in Diễn Thái commune (Diễn Châu district, Nghệ An). Over time, these cakes have become a specialty, attracting visitors from all over. Made from common baking ingredients such as glutinous rice flour, sugarcane honey, ginger, peanuts, and dried coconut, honey bee cakes leave a lasting impression on culinary enthusiasts.

Due to the simple method of making honey bee cakes and the fragrant aroma emitted during the cooking process, this type of cake is always eagerly sought after by diners when they visit Nghệ. For local residents in Diễn Thái commune, honey bee cakes are considered a sweet offering for ancestors to enjoy.

To create the honey bee cakes, sugarcane honey is first cooked until steaming, then dried glutinous rice is finely ground into powder. As for the peanuts, select firm kernels, roast them until golden, remove the husks, roast white sesame seeds until golden, and grate fresh ginger.

Once the peanuts are well-roasted, they are boiled and then the finely ground glutinous rice flour is added. Especially during the process of adding the flour into the boiling pot, the baker must continuously stir to ensure that the honey, peanuts, and flour are well blended together. This stirring process takes quite a long time and is laborious.

When everything has formed a thick mixture and is well combined, it is transferred onto a tray, with toasted white sesame seeds ready. To enhance the aroma of the cake, bakers often add crushed fresh ginger or shredded coconut. The unique flavor of the honey bee cake comes from the combination of fresh ginger juice with the fragrant aroma of roasted peanuts and glutinous rice flour. The finished honey bee cake slices look neat, with a filling of attractive white peanuts. When enjoying the cake, you will experience the fragrant flavor of glutinous rice starch, peanuts, and the spicy taste of ginger. Typically, honey bee cakes can only be used within 5 – 7 days after being baked and contain absolutely no preservatives.

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Reference: Travel Handbook by Mytour