Banh tet: A Southern Tradition on the Tet Holiday Table

The Tet holiday in Vietnam wouldn’t be complete without its iconic culinary specialties, and banh tet holds a special place as a symbol of southern tradition. While banh chung represents the north, banh tet reflects gratitude to the land, honors ancestors, and carries wishes for a prosperous new year. The Tet holiday brings families together, where preparing banh tet becomes a cherished moment, filled with the warmth of home and the joy of tradition. Even far from home, the familiar aroma of banh tet evokes precious memories of family gatherings and festive spirit. Discover the story and flavors of this beloved southern dish during the Tet holiday!

Written by Nhu PHAM (local expert)Updated on 18-12-2024

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Banh Tet: The southern rice cake for Tet holiday celebrations

Banh Tet, a traditional cake deeply rooted in southern Vietnam, is a staple of Tet holiday festivities. Made from sticky rice and mung beans and wrapped in fragrant banana leaves, it comes in two popular variations: a sweet version filled with sugar and banana, and a savory one featuring pork.

Its cylindrical shape sets it apart from the northern banh chung, symbolizing southern culinary traditions. While Banh Tet is most cherished during Tet holiday celebrations, it also plays an important role in family ceremonies and significant gatherings throughout the year, reflecting the warmth and unity of southern Vietnamese culture.

Prepared with care and patience, Banh Tet is traditionally cooked in large pots for hours, filling homes with warmth and creating a friendly atmosphere perfect for sharing moments with family.

More than just a festive dish, Banh Tet holds deep symbolic value during the Tet holiday. It represents devotion and respect for ancestors. On holidays and commemorative occasions, families in southern Vietnam prepare Banh Tet as a ritual offering. This solemn moment, when the cake is shared with elders and ancestors, reflects family love, unity, and gratitude for those who came before.

How is Banh Tet Prepared?

The Essential Ingredients of Traditional Banh Tet

Banh Tet, a staple of the Tet holiday, is crafted using simple yet meaningful ingredients: banana leaves, sticky rice, mung beans, and pork. The sticky rice is often cooked with coconut milk, giving it a rich and creamy texture. The pork, thinly sliced and seasoned with care, adds a savory layer to the cake.

Variations of Banh Tet include additional toppings to suit different tastes, such as dried shrimp, salted duck eggs, or sweet banana fillings. Once assembled, the cake is tightly wrapped in banana leaves to retain its shape and flavors, then cooked slowly for hours. This process not only enhances the texture but also fills homes with the comforting aroma of this cherished dish—a perfect reflection of warmth, family unity, and the spirit of the Tet holiday.

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• Preparing the ingredients

The preparation of the ingredients begins with the banana leaves, which must be carefully selected and then softened. They can be exposed to the sun or briefly immersed in hot water to make them soft and easy to bend without tearing.

The sticky rice is first washed several times to remove excess starch, ensuring a clean, smooth texture. It is then soaked for several hours before being cooked with coconut milk, which gives it a creamy consistency and a rich, aromatic flavor.

The pork filling, traditionally pork belly or bacon, is cut into long, thin pieces and carefully seasoned with salt, sugar, and sometimes a touch of pepper. This savory filling adds depth and contrast to the dish.

For the sweet version of banh tet, the pork filling is replaced with ripe bananas, providing a naturally sweet flavor that complements the creamy coconut-infused rice.

Once the ingredients are ready, the sticky rice and filling are layered and tightly wrapped in banana leaves, forming its signature cylindrical shape. The cakes are then boiled for several hours, a process that softens the rice and melds the flavors together, creating a dish that is both delicious and symbolic of family unity during the Tet holiday.

Mung beans, after being soaked, are cooked until soft and then pureed into a smooth paste. Other ingredients like coconut milk or pandan leaves may be added to flavor the sticky rice and give it a green color. These careful preparation steps are essential to ensure that each bite of banh tet is perfectly balanced in terms of flavor and texture.

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• Assembling the banh tet

Once all the ingredients are prepared, the careful assembly of banh tet begins.

On a clean banana leaf, a layer of sticky rice is evenly spread as the base. Next, a layer of seasoned mung beans is added, creating a smooth and flavorful middle layer. Finally, the chosen filling—savory pork or sweet banana—is placed at the center.

The cake is then skillfully rolled into a tight, cylindrical shape. The edges of the banana leaf are carefully folded and secured, ensuring that the layers hold together during the long cooking process. This meticulous assembly is key to creating the signature form and texture of banh tet, making it a symbol of precision, care, and family unity during the Tet holiday.

It is then tied with thread to give it its characteristic shape. This work requires patience and precision, because the amount of rice and filling must be adjusted carefully to prevent the cake from deteriorating during cooking.

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• Cooking banh tet

Cooking banh tet is a crucial step in its preparation, requiring both time and patience. The assembled cakes are carefully immersed in a large pot of boiling water, where they are cooked for approximately 8 hours.

Throughout the process, water must be added regularly to keep the cakes fully submerged, ensuring even cooking and the perfect texture. This slow, steady boil allows the sticky rice, mung beans, and filling to meld together, while the banana leaves infuse the cakes with their distinct earthy aroma. The long cooking time transforms banh tet into a soft, flavorful delicacy.

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Family joy around the preparation of Banh Tet

For families in southern Vietnam, the preparation of banh tet has become a cherished tradition that bridges generations. Despite the demands of modern life, the act of making banh tet on the eve of the Tet holiday remains a moment of authenticity, where the flavors and spirit of Vietnam's traditional festivals are preserved.

More than just a culinary task, preparing banh tet is a true moment of family reunion. It is an opportunity to come together after a busy year, strengthen family bonds, and celebrate the core values of Tet—gratitude, unity, and renewal.

The Tet holiday in southern Vietnam would not be complete without gathering around the steaming pot of banh tet. Whether with family, friends, or neighbors, everyone participates with enthusiasm, sharing stories, laughter, and the warmth of togetherness. In these precious hours, the worries of daily life fade away, replaced by the simple joy of being together.

This communal moment, filled with human connection and tradition, embodies the very essence of the Tet holiday and remains one of the most treasured experiences for the Vietnamese people.

>>> Discover more about the Vietnamese New Year (Tet Festival) and its timeless traditions.

How to taste Banh Tet like a real Vietnamese?

Once banh tet is cooked, it is removed from the pot and hung to cool. The cooled cake is then sliced and traditionally placed on the ancestors' altar as a respectful offering during the Tet holiday. After the ceremony, the family gathers to enjoy this cherished dish together.

The sticky rice layer is tender and fragrant, while the filling - savory pork or sweet banana - perfectly complements the creamy flavor of mung bean. Southerners often elevate their banh tet experience by pairing it with pickled vegetables, radishes, or spring onions, dipped in a little soy sauce. These sides add a refreshing crunch and a touch of spice, balancing the richness of the cake.

Beyond the traditional preparation, banh tet can also be fried to create a new culinary delight. This method, born out of practicality to avoid wasting leftover cakes during the holidays, transforms banh tet into a crispy, golden treat with a richer, toasted flavor. Fried banh tet has now become a delicacy in its own right, appreciated for its unique texture and irresistible taste.

▶️ Did you know?

Contrary to what you might expect, banh tet is traditionally sliced using the very thread that wrapped it. This age-old method allows for clean, precise cuts and keeps knives clean—another testament to the ingenuity of Vietnamese tradition.

What is the difference between Banh Tet and Banh Chung?

banh tet and banh chung are two iconic culinary symbols of Vietnam, particularly during the Tet holiday. While they share similar ingredients and cultural importance, they have notable differences that reflect the diversity of Vietnamese traditions.

Similar Ingredients, Different Forms

Both cakes are made using the same essential ingredients: sticky rice, mung beans, and pork. However, their shapes and wrappings set them apart:

• Banh chung is square-shaped and traditionally wrapped in dong leaves, symbolizing the earth in Vietnamese culture.
• Banh tet is cylindrical and wrapped in banana leaves, representing the southern culinary tradition.

A Variety of Toppings

While banh chung is typically savory and filled with pork and mung beans, banh tet offers a wider variety of flavors. In addition to the savory pork version, banh tet can also be sweet, often filled with banana. This versatility gives banh tet a broader appeal and makes it unique to southern celebrations.

Regional Significance

• Banh chung is the culinary emblem of Tet in northern Vietnam, where its square form represents stability and the land.
• Banh tet, with its cylindrical shape, is a symbol of Tet in southern Vietnam, reflecting the region's vibrant and diverse culinary culture.

👉 Learn more about Banh chung, the culinary emblem of the Vietnamese Tet festival in the North!

Where to taste authentic banh tet during a trip to Vietnam?

As a specialty of southern Vietnam, banh tet is easily found in the bustling markets of the Mekong Delta. In particular, Can Tho is renowned for its banh tet, especially the vibrant banh tet lá cẩm, which captivates with its natural purple hue, derived from annatto leaves. This unique variation is both visually stunning and a true culinary delight.

If you’re visiting Ho Chi Minh City, don’t miss the chance to explore its many traditional bakeries that offer a wide variety of banh tet. A standout recommendation is Như Lan, a local favorite renowned for its high-quality, traditional cakes. Food lovers can find Như Lan’s shops at the following locations:

• 50 Hàm Nghi, Ward 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• 64-66-68 Hàm Nghi, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
• 365 Hai Bà Trưng, Ward 3, Ho Chi Minh City

Our Last Words

With the rapid changes brought by modern life, some beautiful traditions, such as the preparation of banh tet during Tet, are slowly fading. In many rural families, the practice of making banh tet together has become increasingly rare, replaced by ready-made versions purchased in markets and bakeries.

However, this evolution has also brought new creativity, with banh tet now available in diverse forms and flavors to meet modern tastes. Despite these changes, banh tet remains an enduring symbol of southern Vietnamese culture—a dish that carries with it the warmth of family gatherings and the spirit of the Tet holiday. Wherever you go, its authentic and delicious taste is a memory that lingers.

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