However, the traditional mooncake, made with a filling of 10 ingredients (or bánh nhân thập cẩm) still holds its position for customers. We’ll find out more about this special cake in the following report.
Vietnamese mooncakes include 2 main types: the baked mooncake, and the snowy glutinous cake. In the past, mooncake makers were personally in charge of almost all aspects of the production process, from dealing with ingredients and making the fillings, to shaping the cake with moulds. Moulds were often shaped as koi fish or lotus flowers. Nowadays, some steps are conducted by machines, but mooncake makers still try their best to ensure its traditional taste.
A traditional mooncake filling has 10 ingredients.
A traditional mooncake filling has 10 ingredients: jam, dried sausage, mung bean paste, sugared pig fat, lotus seed, and watermelon see. A signature taste from lime leaves and pomelo flowers can add another layer of flavor to the cake. Another traditional mooncake is made from mung bean. The outside of the cake doesn’t have to be thick, so customers can enjoy a balance between the pastry and the filling.
Through many ups and downs, the old-fashioned, traditional mooncake has mounted a resurgence and kept its position in customers’ hearts.
Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (or Full moon Festival) takes place on the full moon night (15th of the Lunar August), the most charming and picturesque night of the year. The festival involves the customs of moon contemplating, procession of star & moon - shaped lanterns, lion dance, as well as holding parties with moon cakes and fruits. Do you know why we have this special festival?
One important event before and during Vietnamese Mid-Autumn Festival is lion dancing. Both non-professional and professional children groups perform dances on the streets or go to houses. If accepted by the host, "the lion" will come in and start dancing as a wish of luck.
Beside the lion dance, it is customary to offer Banh Trung Thu, boxes of moon cakes, which are traditionally very rich in taste. The cakes are filled with lotus seeds, ground beans and orange peels and have a bright yoke in the center to represent the moon. “Banh deo” is the white cake, made of sticky rice and filled with sweet mixture of lotus seeds, pumpkin seeds or green bean. “Banh nuong” is the brown cake and has salty taste with a mixture of egg, pork fat, fried onion, peanut and lemon leaves inside. Both can be in round or square shapes.
