The Charm of Bánh Ít, Bánh Mật, Bánh Gai

Discover the timeless charm and stories of bánh ít, bánh mật and bánh gai.

Have you ever wondered if bánh gai from the North and bánh ít from the South are siblings? I have, and I’ve discovered a few more members of their delicious family. This delightful family consists of cakes made from sticky rice flour with sweet fillings, all wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Some even have a twist with ramie leaves mixed in. Let’s embark on this tasty journey together!

Pẻng tải and Bánh Uôi 

The Tay and Nung ethnic groups in the northeastern provinces of Cao Bang, Lang Son, and Bac Kan have a cherished tradition of making pẻng tải for the filial piety ceremony on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. In the Tay and Nung languages, pẻng tải means “carrying cakes,” as they are made in pairs and attached to the ends of a banana leaf strip, which is then carried on the shoulders. Sons-in-law visiting their parents-in-law during this ceremony always bring this special gift.

The main ingredients of pẻng tải include glutinous rice and ramie leaves. Rice is soaked, ground into a fine powder, and dried in a cloth bag. Ramie leaves are stripped of their veins, washed, cooked until soft, and squeezed dry. These leaves are then mixed with molasses and rice flour and pounded into a smooth dark green mass. The filling consists of cooked mung beans or peanuts, crushed and mixed with sugar. Pẻng tải are placed at two ends of a banana leaf strip, folded, steamed, and then hung on a pole to drain.

The Muong ethnic group in the Northwest region has a long-standing tradition of making bánh uôi for festivals. This cake is crafted from glutinous rice flour with a mung bean filling. Unlike pẻng tải, bánh uôi remains white as it doesn’t include ramie leaves. They are also wrapped in pairs, but their banana leaves are twisted and tied tightly at one end. Bánh uôi is offered to ancestors and cherished as a precious gift for family and good friends.

I recall encountering the word “uôi” somewhere. In the 16th-century Chinese-Vietnamese dictionary Chỉ Nam Ngọc Âm Giải Nghĩa, part Eight about cakes mentions: “Bụt Sâm on the seventh lunar month is bánh ôi” (transliterated by Tran Xuan Ngoc Lan, Khoa học Xã hội Publishing House, 1985, p. 116). The sounds “uôi” and “ôi” are quite similar in Vietnamese, and since “bánh ôi” also appears in the seventh lunar month, could it be that “bánh ôi” is actually “bánh uôi”?

Furthermore, what does the word “uôi” mean? According to Wikipedia, Vietnamese and Muong languages share 75% of their basic vocabulary, so I looked it up in ancient Vietnamese. In the Vietnamese – Portuguese – Latin Dictionary first published in 1651 (republished by Khoa học Xã hội Publishing House in 1991), I found the words “uien” meaning “round” (p. 246) and “ụin” meaning “sticky” (p. 247). Perhaps “uôi” is derived from “uien”, indicating the round shape of bánh uôi?

Bánh Gai – Bánh Mật

The book Ẩm Thực Tu Tri, published in 1930 in Hanoi, features bánh gai as the first recipe in the Cake section. Bánh gai is a short name for “cake made from lá gai, or ramie leaves.” Its recipe is similar to pẻng tải, but differs in that the filling including thinly sliced coconut and diced boiled pork fat, and white sesame sprinkled on the surface of the cake, which is wrapped in dried banana leaves. (Vương Thị Thu Hương, Tân Dân Publishing House, p. 173)

In the provinces of the Red River Delta, Thanh – Nghe – Tinh, and Quang Binh, bánh gai is a must-have treat for Tet and death anniversaries. These delightful cakes are rolled into balls, wrapped into parcels, and placed upright in a pot, emerging from the steam with a charming square shape. The dried banana leaves, tougher than fresh ones, release a subtle aroma that infuses the cake. 

Roasted sesame seeds sparkle like stars on the jet-black crust. Inside, the crispy coconut, fatty lard, and rich beans create a harmonious blend, nestled within the soft, fragrant crust – a perfect pairing of flavors and textures.

Although homemade bánh gai are always the best, there are a few places known for their delicious versions, such as Ninh Giang (Hai Duong), Nam Dinh, and Yen So (Hanoi). Ninh Giang and Nam Dinh cakes are typically tied with pink strings into stacks of five, while Yen So cakes are neatly placed in square coconut leaf boxes.

Folk songs once compare a young woman who endures hardships but remains kind and gentle to bánh gai:

“I am like a bánh gai, 

My blouse fades, my skin turns brown. 

Come close, get to know me, 

Then you will see, I’m nice and kind.”

In Ẩm Thực Tu Tri, after discussing bánh gai, Mrs. Hương presented bánh mật, made similarly to bánh gai. The difference is that only molasses is mixed into the rice flour, the filling does not contain lard, and the cake is not sprinkled with sesame (cited book, pp. 173-174). 

Bánh mật is not as famous as bánh gai, and fewer and fewer people are making it. Currently, only one establishment in Quang Yen (Quang Ninh) produces it, while grandmothers and mothers occasionally make it for their children and grandchildren in the villages of Northern Vietnam.

During the Temple Festival of Mother Au Co, bánh mật is an important offering to her by the people of Hien Luong village, Phu Tho province – the land of Hung Kings. Could it be the rich brown color of its crust that inspired the Vietnamese idiom “nước da bánh mật” (bánh mật skin)?

Bánh Ít 

In Quang Binh, it’s still called bánh gai, but as soon as you step into Quang Tri, you’ll hear it referred to as bánh ít, a name that becomes increasingly common as you travel further south. Despite this shared name, the shapes and appearances of the cakes differ.

Since there’s a similar white version with a savory filling, bánh ít that originated from the sweet bánh gai is called bánh ít đen or bánh ít lá gai. It can be round or pyramid-shaped and is wrapped in fresh banana leaves. Its filling excludes diced fat, featuring instead peanuts or a combination of coconut and peanuts replacing mung beans. 

In the South, sweet white bánh ít is often made without ramie leaves. Instead, red spiny gourd, magenta leaf, or pandan leaf extracts are added to make bánh ít beautifully red, purple, or green.

Because of its black color and round shape, people in Hue often call bánh ít đen by the rustic name “buffalo dung cake”. While the name might not sound appealing, Hue’s bánh ít đen is actually very delicious. In addition to mung beans, it includes crispy candied wax gourd, tangy kumquat peel, and a hint of fragrant cinnamon powder.

Mrs. Mai Thi Tra, a talented culinary artist from Hue, playfully explains that ‘ít đen’ (less unlucky) is just another way of saying “lucky.” This charming twist is why Hue people love to offer bánh ít during Tet. With her expert hands, she wraps each bánh ít to resemble the noble gold ingots of the ancient Hue royal family. These delightful treats are a must-have in cộ bánh, the traditional offering that graces the altars of Hue homes during Tet.

From Quang Tri to the South, bánh ít is traditionally wrapped in three charming styles: like a candy, a frog, or a tower. In Quang Nam province, the leaves are twisted at both ends to resemble a candy. Quang Ngai prefers to fold the leaves at both ends, making it look like a frog. This frog style is quick and easy, making it a favorite across the South Central provinces. 

Binh Dinh, however, stands apart with its unique wrapping style, celebrated in a local folk song:

“If you crave bánh ít lá gai, 

 Marry a Binh Dinh man, no matter how far the tie.”

Why marry a man from Binh Dinh for bánh ít? Because in Binh Dinh, bánh ít is wrapped beautifully in a slender tower shape with four square corners, mirroring the small, pretty tower of the cake inside. Binh Dinh is also home to a Cham tower, officially known as Silver Tower, but popularly called Bánh Ít Tower. It’s a delightful mystery whether the tower’s shape inspired bánh ít, or if the cake’s resemblance to the tower gave it its name!

Back to the most important question: why is it called bánh “ít”? It’s believed that the original word “ít” comes from “ích.” Writer Binh Nguyen Loc once used the word “bánh ích” when describing Saigon in 1925: “Dakao noodles, on Vassoigne Street, are the best noodles in Saigon; Dakao’s savory bánh ích, with shrimp and pork fillings, are also the most famous ones.” (“A Little of Ancient Saigon”, Sài Gòn Thập Cẩm). Chỉ Nam Ngọc Âm Giải Nghĩa also confirms this name in its section on cakes: “Ích tải is saved for family and friends.” (cited book, p. 117)

Scholar Huynh Tinh Cua offered another popular name for bánh ít: “bánh ếch: a cake shaped like a frog, also called bánh ít” (Đại Nam Quấc Âm Tự Vị, Publishing House Rey Curiol & Cie 1895, p. 35). A traditional Southern folk song about the names of cakes also mentions: “About bánh ếch, for the fishermen to catch.”

If you continue to wonder why the word “ích” or “ếch” has now become “ít,” I must honestly say I don’t know. Because if I did, I would have married a beautiful girl, just like in the folk song:

“Why is a full tray of cakes called bánh ít? *

And a whole market of betels called trầu không? *

Any man who can answer this will win my heart and become my own.”

* In Vietnamese, “ít’ means “a few, little” and “không” means “nothing”. This is a clever wordplay.

Although it goes by many names and comes in various shapes, the beloved bánh ít – made from sticky rice flour mixed with ramie leaves or molasses and filled with sweet mung bean paste, all wrapped in banana leaves – is always an essential dish for Vietnamese ancestral worship. I still remember the elders in my family often telling me, “There must be bánh ít on the altar when we celebrate ancestral rites, my child!”

Nowadays, bánh ít makes a rare cameo appearance. With everyone cutting down on flour and sugar, interest in bánh ít has fizzled out. I’ll probably have to remind my kids and grandkids that during ancestral rites, they need to offer bánh ít. And inevitably, some bright-eyed youngster will ask, “What kind of cake is bánh ít?”

Oh Lord, reading this article might give them a headache, so I’d simplify it to, “It’s a cake with little material but lots of kindness, so it’s called bánh ít.” And if they persist, asking what “little material but lots of kindness” means, I’d likely quip, “It means little crust and lots of filling,” because there’s no short answer for that!

mlefood – Minh Lê