Green rice cake has long become a representative and culinary symbol of Hanoi people. This small, lovely cake has a tradition dating back nearly 200 years, when Mrs. Tran Thi Luan, also known as Truong Ai, from Yen Ninh village, Yen Thanh canton, devised a way to make com cakes.
The cake was born so that Hanoi children living far away could still remember their hometown when enjoying the taste of com, or so that travelers from afar coming to Hanoi could eat com in a more convenient way. Thus, the com cake was born and has developed to this day after more than two centuries of constant creation and improvement.
Com cake is best eaten in August, when the autumn monsoon wind begins to blow softly, which is also the time when the most delicious Vong com grains are available.
Com cake is best eaten in August, when the autumn monsoon wind begins to blow softly, which is also the time when the most delicious Vong com grains are available. Holding a com cake in my hand, I really do not want to eat it. When peeling off the outer layer, the inside of the cake appears bright green. I still remember clearly when I was a child, during engagement parties, the most anticipated thing was the com cake. Holding the cake, I took tiny bites, and when the filling was revealed, I tried to eat it very slowly to make it last longer. Childhood com cake was full of parents' love; when they had money, they would buy a few as gifts or rewards for their children. Com cake is still something to enjoy for its subtle flavor, but the delicious taste keeps making people want to eat it again and again.
To make such a delicious com cake is not simple. Asking the cake makers, they only say: 'It is not easy.' Mature com is carefully selected for firm grains, processed, then mixed with water and steamed with sugar and pomelo flower water. The mung beans used for the filling must be carefully selected, steamed, and pureed, then added with shredded coconut or lotus jam, winter melon jam. A com cake must be square; when opened, it must have a fragrance, and when eaten, one must feel the harmony between the com and the mung bean filling. That is the authentic com cake of Hanoi.
In the past, com cakes often only appeared during festivals and weddings of Hanoi people. Today it is still the same, but com cake has become a snack, a gift, or simply something to show affection to family and friends. Simply because com cake is so delicious, eating a lot does not make you feel cloyed. The combination of chewy, fragrant steamed com and sweet mung bean has captivated people's hearts.
I remember the story of a Japanese friend, who was very proud of his home country's cuisine, but was attracted by the unique gifts of Vietnam. He was impressed by the simplicity yet sophistication of the humble com cake, so much so that he bought a lot to eat and give as gifts. He said that the com cake reminded him of the traditional 'mochi' cake of his hometown, also thanks to delicate hands and hundreds of years of experience, this specialty has an unexpectedly delicious taste. However, getting to eat a very unique com dish made the far-away guest admire the unique cuisine of Hanoi, as well as better understand and love the Vietnamese people more.
A characteristic of com cake, like many other gifts, is the improvement over time. I remember, just twenty years ago, com cakes were still criticized by many for being too sweet, but now I eat com cakes from many shops on Hang Than street and find the sweetness very balanced. Com cake shops also know how to adjust so that the taste of the cake is more suitable for the taste of the majority of customers. That is also the reason why our country's cuisine leaves such an impression on tourists.
A characteristic of com cake, like many other gifts, is the improvement over time.
As writer Thach Lam wrote: “Com cake is a kind of cake that evokes many colorful memories for us.” That sentence was written during a period when people's lives were not yet prosperous, and everyone considered com cake something luxurious. But even now, com cake is still elegant, and of course, it is still delicious, even better than in the past. The sweet, delicious memories of childhood remain intact in every Hanoian when holding a com cake in their hand.
Source: Compiled
