Bánh Chưng (Chung Cakes) has been appeared for a long time in Vietnam, it is usually made during the Lunar New Year. Nowadays, Chung Cakes is sold daily at traditional markets or supermarkets.
Traditionally the Vietnamese have many delicacies but few are as special as Chung Cakes. These cakes are made with a sticky gelatinous rice covering and a mung bean and pork inside. This dish has many variations such as a vegetarian option with only mung bean paste.
You can order banh chung at Madam Yen Hanoi Restaurant
The history of this cake is long. It is said that in the Sixth Dynasty there was a King who had 18 princes. After a Victory against the Shang Dynasty the King proposed a competition to decide his heir. His sons searched the land for special foods from the sea and the forests. His 18th prince, Lang Lieu, was very poor, he could not afford any of these rare and exquisite foods and only afford everyday ingredients. Prince Lang Lieu used a glutinous sticky rice and pork. He created one cake in the shape of a square, the earth and another in the shape of a circle, the sky. The King tried Prince Lang Lieu’s cakes and thought they truly honored the ancestors. Lang Lieu was deemed the heir to the throne and founded the Seventh Dynasty.
To this day the Vietnamese people still place these cakes upon the altars to honor their ancestors. There are even some villages which specialize in the making of Chung Cakes.