Bánh trôi bánh chay — the Hàn Thực Festival tradition

Bánh trôi bánh chay (floating rice balls and flat rice cakes) were the distinctive food of Tết Hàn Thực (Cold Food Festival, 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month). Bánh trôi were translucent white, perfectly round, filled with rock sugar. Bánh chay were flat and smooth, filled with mung bean paste. Both were offered to ancestors, praying for peace.

Bánh trôi: white round with rock sugar center
Bánh chay: flat with mung bean filling
Hàn Thực Festival, 3rd of 3rd lunar month
Offered to ancestors

Hàn Thực Festival

Origins

Tết Hàn Thực means "Cold Food Festival." In ancient times, people did not light fires for cooking and ate cold food. Bánh trôi bánh chay were the most suitable cold dishes.

Significance

The round bánh trôi symbolized reunion and wholeness. The white translucent balls represented purity. Offering them to ancestors expressed gratitude and remembrance.

Making bánh trôi

Glutinous rice dough

Glutinous rice flour was kneaded with warm water until smooth. Shaped into round balls, slightly flattened, with a piece of rock sugar pressed into the center, then sealed into a sphere.

Boiling

Balls were dropped into boiling water. They sank then floated when done ("trôi" means "float"). Scooped out, dipped in cold water, arranged on a plate, and sprinkled with roasted sesame.

Making bánh chay

Dough and filling

Bánh chay was also made from glutinous rice flour but shaped flatter. The filling was cooked mung bean, mashed smooth, mixed with sugar. Bánh chay was not sprinkled with sesame but served in sugar syrup with pomelo blossom.

Served in sugar syrup

Bánh chay was placed in a bowl, drizzled with clear sugar syrup fragrant with pomelo blossom. The flavor was gently sweet, lightly fragrant, and refreshing.

Then and now

Then — the whole family made them together

In the old days, the whole family sat together shaping bánh on Hàn Thực. Grandmothers, mothers, and daughters gathered around the dough tray. Children excitedly shaped balls even if imperfectly round. A warm family memory.

Now — tradition preserved

Hàn Thực is still observed in Northern Vietnam. Many families still make their own bánh. Store-bought versions are available but don't compare to handmade.

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Old Northern cốm làng Vòng — traditional rice dish

Frequently asked questions about bánh trôi bánh chay

How are bánh trôi and bánh chay different?

Bánh trôi are small round balls with rock sugar filling, sprinkled with sesame. Bánh chay are flatter with mung bean filling, served in sugar syrup.

When is Hàn Thực Festival?

The 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month each year.

Are they difficult to make?

Not difficult but requires skill to shape evenly round balls with properly thin skin and properly sealed sugar filling.

Why called "floating" rice balls?

Because when cooked, the balls float (trôi) to the surface of the water.

What is the literary connection?

The famous poetess Hồ Xuân Hương wrote the renowned poem "Bánh trôi nước" using bánh trôi as a metaphor for women's fate.