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TL;DR: Banh Chung and Banh Tet originate from the Lang Liêu legend during the Hung King era, symbolizing heaven, earth, and prosperity. Over thousands of years, they have become not just Tet foods but symbols of filial piety, ancestral gratitude, and Vietnamese cultural identity.
Introduction: The soul of Vietnamese Tết
In the richly coloured culinary picture of the Vietnamese people, bánh chưng and bánh tét hold a special and irreplaceable place. They are not simply dishes of the Tết holiday: they are the distillation of history, of a philosophy of living and of the soul of a people. The presence of these two kinds of bánh on the ancestral altar in the first days of spring has become an enduring cultural beauty, handed down through countless generations.
Where do bánh chưng and bánh tét originate?
What is the legend of bánh chưng and bánh giầy?
The origin of bánh chưng is recorded in the legend of Lang Liêu in the time of the sixth Hùng Vương. According to the legend, when the country was at peace, the king, their father, wished to pass the throne to the child who could carry on his will. The princes competed to find rare delicacies, while Lang Liêu was a man who had lost his mother, was poor, yet was filial. In a dream, a deity told him: "In heaven and on earth, nothing is more precious than rice, for rice is the food that sustains human beings. Take glutinous rice and make cakes in a round shape and a square shape to represent Heaven and Earth."
Lang Liêu made two kinds of bánh: bánh giầy, round in shape, representing Heaven, and bánh chưng, square in shape, representing Earth, with a filling of meat and mung bean inside representing all living things. The king, their father, was very pleased, praised him and passed the throne to Lang Liêu. From then on, bánh chưng became an indispensable offering at Tết.
Bánh tét and its spread to the South
Bánh tét is thought to have appeared later than bánh chưng, tied to the southward expansion of the Vietnamese people. When migrants moved into the southern lands, natural conditions and ways of life differed greatly, and the Vietnamese created a long cylindrical shape that was easier to preserve and to transport when travelling on rivers and waterways. Bánh tét can be cut into round slices when eaten, more convenient than the square bánh chưng, which must be cut into pieces. This is evidence of a flexible adaptation that nonetheless kept intact the core spirit of Vietnamese culture.
What is the symbolic meaning of bánh chưng and bánh tét?
Symbols of Heaven and Earth and the five elements
The square bánh chưng, with the green of the dong leaves, represents the fertile Mother Earth. The long cylindrical bánh tét, when cut into round slices, carries the meaning of Heaven. The pairing of bánh chưng (Earth) and bánh giầy (Heaven) on the Tết tray reflects the old Vietnamese conception of "the harmony of heaven and earth". The way bánh chưng is arranged on the altar, with bánh giầy placed above and bánh chưng below, expresses the harmony between heaven and earth, between âm and dương.
Ingredients and the philosophy of the five elements
Each ingredient in the bánh carries its own layer of meaning:
- Glutinous rice: The essence of heaven and earth, the staple food that sustains human beings, representing fullness and abundance.
- Green dong leaves: The green colour represents mộc (the Wood element), representing growth, development and intense vitality.
- Mung bean: The yellow colour represents the Thổ (Earth) element, representing wealth and plenty.
- Fatty pork: The white colour represents the Kim (Metal) element, representing purity and prosperity.
- Peppercorns: The pungent heat represents the Hỏa (Fire) element, driving away evil spirits and bringing warmth.
- Salt: The salty taste represents the Thủy (Water) element, connecting and balancing the other flavours.
The harmonious combination of the five elements in a single small bánh expresses the profound cosmological conception of the Vietnamese people, and the wish for a new year that is full, balanced and harmonious.
How do bánh chưng and bánh tét differ?
| Feature | Bánh chưng | Bánh tét |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Square | Long cylinder |
| Common region | The North | The Centre and the South |
| Wrapping leaf | Dong leaves | Banana leaves (mainly) |
| Filling | Fatty pork, mung bean | Fatty pork, mung bean (may add banana, salted pork fat) |
| How it is eaten | Cut into square pieces | Cut into round slices |
| Boiling time | 8-12 hours | 8-10 hours |
| How it is enjoyed | Dipped in nước mắm, sesame salt | Dipped in nước mắm, salt and pepper with lime, or eaten with pickled onion, pickled scallion |
This difference does not create division but rather richness, diversity within unity in Vietnamese culinary culture. Northerners take pride in their neatly square bánh chưng, southerners love the soft, pliable bánh tét, and each kind carries the flavour and beauty of its own region.
How are bánh chưng and bánh tét made?
From choosing the ingredients
A good bánh begins with good ingredients. The glutinous rice must be nếp cái hoa vàng, fragrant and pliable, with even, clear white grains. The mung bean must be hulled, with bright golden grains. The pork must be chosen from the belly with both lean and fat, cut into large slices. The dong leaves must be bánh tẻ leaves, not too old, to avoid cracking when wrapped, and not too young, so that a beautiful green colour is retained.
To the art of wrapping and boiling
Wrapping bánh chưng and bánh tét is an art that demands skill and patience. The wrapper must form a neat square for bánh chưng, or roll it tightly by hand for bánh tét. The bamboo ties must be bound evenly and firmly, but not too tight or too loose. The boiling water must cover the bánh, with the fire kept steady for many hours on end. People of old held that during the boiling time the house must be kept warm and quiet, avoiding unlucky things so that the bánh comes out whole.
What is the cultural and spiritual meaning of bánh chưng and bánh tét?
Filial piety and gratitude to ancestors
Bánh chưng and bánh tét arose from Lang Liêu's filial piety toward the king, their father. To this day they remain offerings made to ancestors at Tết, expressing the moral principle of "when you drink water, remember the source". The Tết tray cannot lack green bánh chưng on the altar; that is how descendants express their gratitude to grandparents and ancestors who have passed away.
Family bonds
Wrapping bánh chưng at Tết is a communal activity that binds the members of a family together. Three generations sit together by the pot of bánh, one washing leaves, one rinsing rice, one wrapping, one tending the fire, chatting cheerfully in the chilly air at the year's end. This is a sacred moment for the family to gather, to share the stories of the year gone by and to entrust their hopes to the new year. This beauty is being preserved and has become a cultural experience loved by many young families.
A symbol of plenty and good fortune
The green of the leaves, the pliable fragrance of the rice, the rich fattiness of the pork, the nutty taste of the mung bean: all blend together to create the distinctive flavour of Tết. The bánh chưng and bánh tét on the tray are also a symbol of plenty, of a new year of prosperity and peace. Vietnamese people believe that when Tết has green bánh chưng, pickled onion and fatty pork, the new year will be full and fortunate.
