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| Vietnamese dishes are lined up in the shape of Việt Nam at the commemoration of Prince Lang Liêu — the seventh Hùng King – on May 7 in Phú Thọ Province’s Việt Trì City. Photos courtesy of the organisers |
PHÚ THỌ — National chefs created an impressive performance with 180 huge culinary offers at the commemoration of Prince Lang Liêu, the seventh Hùng King – on May 7 in Phú Thọ Province’s Việt Trì City.
The commemoration is an annual activity of the city to pay tribute to one of the legendary founders of the nation and honour the legend of bánh chưng (square rice cake) and bánh giầy (round glutinous rice cake), symbols of Vietnamese culinary culture.
Prince Lang Liêu was the 18th son of Hùng King. He created these two cakes to offer to his father and ancestors. Through his dishes, Lang Liêu conveyed a message of gratitude to the ancestors and the spirit of family solidarity – the core values of the Vietnamese people.
The legend of bánh chưng and bánh giầy was believed an inspiration for generations of Vietnamese people to preserve and promote national culinary heritages.
It was jointly organising by the Dữu Lâu Ward People’s Committee, the Vietnamese Chefs Federation and the Masan Consumers.
According to organisers, it was not only a spiritual ceremony, but also a place where the culinary legacy of the three regions converged, demonstrating the nation’s solidarity and the richness of Vietnamese cuisine.
“This year, the incense offering ceremony in memory of Prince Lang Liêu is more meaningful as it helps gather 180 trays from all over the country, contributing to preserving and honouring the identity of Vietnamese culinary culture,” said Lê Thị Thiết, chairwoman of the Nam Định Province Culinary Culture Association.
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| The 180 trays created by chefs across the nation showed the diversity of culinary excellence on offer. |
At the Dữu Lâu Communal House, hundreds of famed chefs and artisans, from different cities and provinces gathered together to prepare 180 trays of tasty dishes – nearly double than the original plan of 100 trays organisers had first promised to the public.
Each tray was a work of art, reproducing the typical dishes of each region. They were bánh chưng and bánh giầy of the North; mắm tôm chà (fermented salted shrimp) and bánh bèo (steamed rice cake) of the Central region, and bánh xèo (sizzling pancake) and gỏi cuốn (rice paper rolls) of the South, creating a vivid culinary picture.
In particular, in responding to the nation’s recent celebration of 50 years of glory, the trays were arranged in the shape of Việt Nam map with the two archipelagos of Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa, affirming the love for the homeland sea and islands.
“Coming from the South, I am very happy to be here today with the community of chef and artisans to honour the founder of Vietnamese cuisine, Prince Lang Liêu,” said one of the founders of the Sài Gòn Chefs Association, Lý Sanh.
“This is not only a ceremony for us to express our gratitude to the founder of the cooking profession, but also an opportunity for the Vietnamese chef community to join hands to preserve and promote the quintessence of national culinary culture through each dish.”
Trần Thị Hồng Loan, an artisan from Huế, said she was pleased to meet with many chefs of different regions and joined with them to show the diversity of Vietnamese cultural identity.
Meanwhile Cồ Như Đồi, representative of the Vân Cù Phở Association, highlighted the importance of promoting culinary cultural values in a changing life.
“We keep the traditions and improve our dishes so that the younger generations and international friends would enjoy them everywhere. Our offerings today are created to suit today’s customer tastes but still retain the flavour and cultural identity of local dishes,” he said.
Dữu Lâu Communal House is one of the important historical relics of Phú Thọ. The provincial relic is not only a place to worship Prince Lang Liêu but also a cultural centre of the community, preserving the traditional values of the ancient land of Văn Lang. VNS
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