The Tet cake is made with sticky rice and filled with pork fat and beans seasoned with black pepper and shallots. It is considered a variant of Chung cake (square glutinous rice cake), which is more popular in the northern region.
Even though the cake is available all year, it is still considered a New Year treat.
Over the past four decades of making Tet cake, Ms Nguyen Thi Tam in Ho Chi Minh City and her family’s bakery has been busy making Tét cakes for orders both in and out the city.
There are two type of traditional Tet cake, one is filled with pork fat and green beans, the other one or plain Tet cake is made with green beans or banana.
During Tet or Lunar New Year festival, Vietnamese families in southern region usually gather together to make Tet cakes. The process of making Tet cakes is time consuming, providing an opportunity for family members to bond to celebrate the holiday’s spirit.
Local people of different regions can create ingredients to make Tet cakes for themselves, turning the cake into their unique specialties./.
