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The Legend of the Rice Cakes or " Ba'nh Da`y, Ba'nh Chu?ng"

© lana lebozec

The Vietnamese have different terms for rice: In English rice is rice, in Vietnamese, uncooked rice is ga.o, cooked rice is co?m , sticky uncooked rice is ne^'p and sticky cooked rice is xo^i. Rice cakes, made with sweet rice (also called sticky rice or glutinous rice) can be round, it is "Ba'nh Da`y" or it can be square, it is then called "Ba'nh Chu?ng" Rice cakes are usually served on the first day of the new year as an offering to the ancestors.

The Vietnamese legend that explains the origin of the rice cakes started long ago, before the birth of Christ, with King Hu`ng Vu?o?ng of the Ho^`ng Ba`ng Dynasty.

The story of an old king who had the dilemma of not knowing which offspring would be the most deserving one to succeed him. He challenged his many sons to present him with the best food offering for the ancestors.

An offering which can evidence wisdom and ability, an offering which could satisfy the ancestors and the king's taste buds at the same time

Faced with the arduous task, each prince set out to travel to foreign lands, in search of the rarest, the most exotic and delectable foods to present to the King Father The youngest and poorest amongst them was Prince Lieu, who preferred to stay at home with the old King. He was more concerned about his fathers' health than about the succession to the throne. One night in his sleep, he dreamt of a fairy advising him to use RICE as an offering to the ancestors.

Rice was then the most abundant, readily available staple in the kingdom

" Cook glutinous rice, Prince Lieu was told, and mold it in the round shape of the sky . The sky under which you live and call the cake "Ba'nh Da`y:

Next, cook and mold another cake in the square shape of the earth (at that time it was believed that the earth was square in shape) and place cooked bean paste and meat inside to symbolize the heart. The heart of the individual living in the world. Call the cake " Ba'nh Chu?ng" and present these two symbolic rice cakes to your father.

When King Hung Vuong summoned all his sons to present their offerings, he was disappointed to taste all those foods from afar, which he judged common and uninteresting; however, when Prince Lieu presented the simple yet delicious rice cakes, and explained the meaningful symbols each cake represented and how the young man perceived the relationship of the individual in the universe (sky and earth)

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