{"id":3452,"date":"2026-01-31T03:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T03:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/nguon-goc-banh-phu-the-net-dep-trong-van-hoa-am-thuc-viet\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T03:45:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T03:45:00","slug":"nguon-goc-banh-phu-the-net-dep-trong-van-hoa-am-thuc-viet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/nguon-goc-banh-phu-the-net-dep-trong-van-hoa-am-thuc-viet\/","title":{"rendered":"Origin of Phu The Cake \u2013 Beauty in Vietnamese Culinary Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Legend has it that the name \u201cphu the\u201d (husband and wife) cake came from the story of King Ly Anh Tong going to battle, and his wife at home, concerned for his hardship, made cakes herself and sent them to him. The King found them delicious and, thinking of their conjugal love, named the cake 'phu the'. Because of this name, 'phu the' cakes (also known as 'xu xe') are always tied in pairs, symbolizing the ironclad bond of husband and wife. Others pass down a story that the name 'phu the' is linked to a tale about a merchant couple from long ago. It is said that before the husband set off on a journey to trade in a distant land, the wife made cakes for him and swore that even though they were far apart, her heart would always remain as sweet and rich as the cakes. Touched, the husband named them 'phu the' cakes. Unexpectedly, upon arriving at his destination, the husband became enchanted by the beauty of local girls and did not want to return. The wife at home, hearing the news, made cakes and sent them to her husband along with a message:{
\"translations\": [
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]
}\n

\u201cFrom the day you stepped onto the boat'<\/p>\n

\u201dFor every wave, the cake feels just as much sorrow'.<\/p>\n

Receiving the cakes and his wife's message, the husband felt remorse and immediately returned, no longer thinking of changing his heart. Since then, people have said that 'phu the' cake symbolizes the faithfulness of spouses and is often present at wedding feasts as a message to young couples.<\/p>\n

\"Ng\u01b0\u1eddi<\/p>\n

People say that 'phu the' cake symbolizes the faithfulness of spouses<\/p>\n

Another legend about the origin of 'phu the' cake<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

There is another story like this: the children of Dinh Bang village tell that, according to legend, during the Ly dynasty, on festival days or Tet, the villagers of Dinh Bang often used the produce they had cultivated to make 'banh xu xe'<\/strong>, to sincerely offer to their ancestors, and then enjoy the blessings together. During one village festival, King Ly Thanh Tong and his wife, Queen Nguyen Phi Y Lan, returned to their hometown to pay homage to King Ly Thai To and King Ly Thai Tong at Do Temple. There, the villagers offered the King and Queen the local specialty, 'xu xe' cake. The King and Queen enjoyed the cake and praised its taste. Understanding the profound humanistic meaning contained in such a delicious cake, the King decreed that it should be an offering on the joyous day of becoming 'phu the' (husband and wife). From then on, the cake was called 'phu the' cake.<\/p>\n

'Phu the' cake<\/strong> is traditionally wrapped in two types of leaves: inside is a layer of 'dong' leaves or banana leaves, and outside is a layer of coconut leaves. The type of rice used to make 'phu the' cake must be the delicious 'cai hoa vang' sticky rice. The rice is washed clean, drained, and pounded in a mortar, not ground by machine. Next, the rice starch is filtered; therefore, one kilogram of 'cai hoa vang' sticky rice usually yields only 400 grams of starch. That filtered flour is then ground very finely and dried or sun-dried for 15 days before being used to make the cake; if used immediately, the cake will turn mushy. To get the golden yellow color of the 'phu the' cake crust, cake makers often use dried gardenia flowers, soaking them in boiling water when making the cake to extract the yellow dye.<\/p>\n

\"B\u00ean<\/p>\n

Inside that transparent cake, shredded papaya is also sprinkled in, so when eating, one will feel a crunchy, chewy sensation mixed into the suppleness of the crust<\/em><\/p>\n

Inside that transparent cake, shredded papaya is also sprinkled in, so when eating, one will feel a crunchy, chewy sensation mixed into the suppleness of the crust. The filling is mung beans that have been carefully soaked, peeled, steamed until cooked, ground into a smooth paste, cooked with sugar, and mixed with shredded coconut. When eating, the cake is usually cut into four, so four lotus seeds are often placed in the four corners of the filling.<\/p>\n

People believe that the way the 'phu the' cake is made, so elaborately, is to contain many hidden meanings. The way the flour is spread thinly on the mold, the filling is placed on one end, and then the remaining flour is covered over the filling seems to represent the embrace and protection of the love and duty of a husband and wife. Moreover, the 'phu the' cake also subtly encompasses the philosophy of the five elements through its five colors: the white of the starch and coconut, the yellow of the gardenia used for the crust and mung bean filling, the black of the sesame seeds, the green of the leaves, and the red of the strings. It is the harmony between humans and heaven and earth, the harmony between people, and between husband and wife. Perhaps because of the meaning of yin and yang in harmony and the delicious, sweet taste of the cake, the process of making it is not simple at all. The cake must be boiled using a wood stove with moderate heat to maintain its delicious taste and aroma. Enjoying 'phu the' cake with its sticky rice, crunchy papaya, the rich taste of mung beans, the creaminess of coconut, the fragrance of lotus seeds, the mild sweetness of sugar, and the aroma of banana oil... all blend together to create the distinct flavor of 'phu the' cake, the sweet flavor of husband and wife's love.<\/p>\n

'Phu the' cake is a specialty that is favored by many people. 'Phu the' cake can be found in many places, but the most prominent is Dinh Bang village, which has preserved the long-standing tradition of making 'phu the' cake. Dinh Bang 'phu the' cake is rustic and simple, delicious and refreshing, beautiful and not expensive... According to the elders in Dinh Bang village, in the past, only noble families and officials had the money to buy 'phu the' cake. At that time, 'phu the' cake was only used on important occasions or as a luxurious gift for guests from afar. Today, the craft of making 'phu the' cake has become more popular, and with higher living standards, almost every family can easily choose for themselves delicious and beautiful pairs of 'phu the' cakes.<\/p>\n

\"Thay<\/p>\n

Instead of using coconut leaves to make the cake box like in the past, people replace them with cellophane and tie the cakes with colored ribbons<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, many engagement parties and weddings still choose 'phu the' cake as an offering because of its subtle meaning of yin and yang in harmony. Instead of using coconut leaves to make the cake box like in the past, people replace them with cellophane and tie the cakes with colored ribbons. In many places, people no longer see the yellow color of the 'phu the' cake crust, but instead red and white, yet it remains square and round, soft, flexible, delicious... and still contains the concept of faithfulness, sending a message to young couples on their wedding day.<\/p>\n

BAO MINH CONFECTIONERY JOINT STOCK COMPANY<\/strong>
\n Address: Lot B2-3-3a, Nam Thang Long Industrial Zone, Thuy Phuong Ward, Bac Tu Liem District, Hanoi.
\n Hotline: 0906 874 464
\n Phone number: 0243 719 2355
\n Email: banhkeobaominh@gmail.com
\n Website: https:\/\/banhbaominh.com\/<\/p>\n<\/article>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

T\u1ee5c truy\u1ec1n, t\u00ean g\u1ecdi b\u00e1nh phu th\u00ea l\u00e0 do s\u1ef1 t\u00edch vua L\u00fd Anh T\u00f4ng \u0111i \u0111\u00e1nh tr\u1eadn, ng\u01b0\u1eddi v\u1ee3 \u1edf nh\u00e0 th\u01b0\u01a1ng ch\u1ed3ng v\u1ea5t v\u1ea3 \u0111\u00e3 t\u1ef1 tay v\u00e0o b\u1ebfp l\u00e0m b\u00e1nh g\u1eedi ra cho ch\u1ed3ng. Vua \u0103n th\u1ea5y ngon, ngh\u0129 \u0111\u1ebfn t\u00ecnh v\u1ee3 ch\u1ed3ng \u0111\u00e3 \u0111\u1eb7t t\u00ean b\u00e1nh l\u00e0 b\u00e1nh phu th\u00ea. C\u0169ng […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-van-hoa-am-thuc"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baominhheritage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}