Buzz
1. Rice Wine Glutinous Rice
Rice wine glutinous rice is a common dish in the ceremonial feast against pests in the Northern region. Folklore dictates consuming rice wine as the first meal on the 5th of May, early in the morning, right after waking up. It is believed that foods with sour and bitter flavors can eliminate bacteria, making rice wine glutinous rice the top choice.
2. Ash Cake (Bánh Tro, Bánh Gio, Bánh Ú Tro)
Ash cakes are crafted from rice soaked in ash water (burned from various dry wood or rice straw), wrapped in banana leaves, and then boiled or steamed until cooked. They often have mung bean filling or can be plain. These cakes come in various shapes, with some rolled into long tubes and others formed into small triangular pyramids.
This type of cake is easy to eat, digest, and has a cooling effect, making it ideal for enjoying on the hot days of lunar May. Soft and chewy, with a mild taste, pairing it with sugarcane molasses brings sweetness, making it delightful and enticing.
3. Seasonal Sour Fruits
Offering a fruit platter on the ancestral altar is an indispensable tradition in every Vietnamese celebration, and Tết Đoan Ngọ is no exception.
In the ritual feast to 'exterminate pests,' the table is adorned with seasonal fruits such as lychees, plums, and rambutans, symbolizing hopes for a bountiful harvest and warding off harmful pests.
4. Duck Meat
Duck meat is a common dish in the Tết Đoan Ngọ offering of the people in the Central region. According to folklore, duck meat has a cooling effect, bringing balance to the body's Yin and Yang. Additionally, May in the lunar calendar is a time when ducks are plump, their meat fragrant and free from unpleasant odors.
5. Sticky Rice and Sweet Soup
Northern folks typically indulge in green bean sweet soup and sticky rice with sweet mung bean soup. In the Central region, the preference shifts to lotus seed sweet soup and chè kê, while in the South, floating sweet rice dumplings take center stage.
Chè kê, a specialty in the Central region, is crafted from kê seeds, a highly nutritious cereal. The sweet and tangy taste of green beans and kê seeds, combined with the chewy kê crackers, makes for a delightful treat.
In the South, floating sweet rice dumplings are made from glutinous rice flour, with a filling of green beans, served with either sugar syrup or coconut milk.
Thus, Mytour has shared with you insights into what to eat during Tết Đoan Ngọ. Wishing you and your family a warm, healthy, and fortunate pest-expelling celebration.
