Uncover A Mysterious Ritual Cake

Have you ever heard of oản – the Vietnamese ancient ritual cake?

As the sun sets on the last day of the lunar year, the altar of Buddha and ancestors in every Northern Vietnamese house is a feast for the eyes and the nose. The aroma of incense fills the air, mingling with the scent of luscious flowers and lavish offerings. The shiny incense burner and candlesticks sparkle like jewels, mirroring the gorgeously colorful ritual cakes – oản. Let’s take a closer look into this mysterious ritual cake.

Oản: Once upon an Old Time

On the Yen Stream to Huong Pagoda, a boatwoman skillfully parted the water with rhythmic swishes of her oars. The boat slid smoothly on the clear water reflecting the blue sky and green trees. A sixteen-year-old girl sitting on the boat was looking around with wide eyes, amazed by the funny shaped mountains on both sides of the stream:

“On mountains shaped like oản, chicken and rice,

A lot of monkeys are playing.

There is the mountain of Elephant,

With its clear head and tail showing.”

(Nguyen Nhuoc Phap, “Worshipping at Huong Pagoda”)

The girl in the poem pictured the mountains in familiar shapes like an elephant, a chicken, a sticky rice bowl, and oản. So what was oản?

Oản was a legacy of Buddhism, which came to Vietnam long ago. Back then, monks would wander the streets, asking for alms. The Viet people filled small bowls with sticky rice or cereal powder and gave them to the monks. Over time, these food bowls became regular offerings to family altars, pagodas and temples. 

Oản was the name of the bowl, and soon it became the name of the offerings as well. Sticky rice offering is xôi oản or oản nếp and the cereal cakes are bánh oản, oản đường or oản bột. Both of them were called phẩm oản, meaning “the bowl of food”. In everyday speech, the Vietnamese often shorten the names to oản.

Do you know the four sacred things that every ancient altar honored? They were: incense, flowers, oản, and fruit. Viet people brought oản to temples and pagodas on holy days. After the ceremony, oản were shared among the visitors as a sign of blessing. 

Children waited eagerly for their mothers and grandmothers to come back home, bringing them some oản. Oản was fragrant and delicious, infused with the aroma of incense. This folk song has been engraved in their young minds since childhood:

“On sacred days those seeking oản’s delight, 

        should pay respect to the ritual sites.”

A wise mind once gave this idea as a hint to an ambitious and powerful person. In the 16th century, renowned poet and sage Nguyen Binh Khiem sent this message to Regent Trinh Kiem:  “If you preserve the temple for Buddha, you will be granted oản.” After hearing it, Trinh Kiem re-considered his plan to overthrow King Le. Ultimately, he kept King Le on the throne and remained as the de facto ruler. His descendants continued to rule Northern Vietnam as the Trinh Lords for another 200 years.

The Art of Creating Ritual Cakes

What secrets lie behind the making of bánh oản? 

The first one lies in the choice of flour, which varies from region to region. In the Northern Delta, where the fertile soil nurtures the finest crops, people select the yellow flower sticky rice, a grain of unmatched quality and aroma. They soak the pearly white grains in water until they soften, then grind them into a smooth paste, and squeeze them in a cloth to remove the excess moisture. They spread the flour on a tray and toast it over a gentle fire, until it becomes a snowy and fluffy powder that fills the air with a sweet and fragrant scent.

The cake mold holds another secret to the beauty of bánh oản. It consists of three pieces of jackfruit wood, a sturdy and golden-brown material. They fit together like a puzzle, and can be taken apart with ease. The mold has a tower shape, a sign of spirituality, a flat top for convenient wrapping, and rounded sides to create a smooth pattern. Inside the mold, there are hollows of different sizes and depths. The mold maker has carved a delicate design inside. This is how the cake will acquire its exquisite embossment.

The final secret lies in the art of sugar making and mixing. Refined white sugar is boiled with water and stirred without pause until the sugar recrystallizes into a superfine powder. It is then blended with the toasted flour. How much sugar is needed? Only the artisan knows, by experience and intuition. The sugar ratio changes according to the humidity of the weather, so the ritual cake has the perfect texture, neither too soft nor too dry.

With a rhythmic motion, the wooden pestle presses the powder, fusing the flour and sugar into a creamy mixture. The powder flies into the air and settles in the mold, filling every hollow and crack. After a moment, the mold is removed, unveiling the splendid art of the ritual cake: a snow-white, silky, and solid treat. The cake displays the elaborate designs of the mold: dragons clutching their claws, clouds twirling in unison, and sacred flames dancing.

For many decades, ritual cakes have donned a dazzling coat of colorful cellophane. Each hue has a hidden message in Vietnamese culture. Yellow speaks of the Buddha and the forefathers, echoing the holy garment of illumination. Red whispers of fortune and abundance, pleasing the God of Wealth and the Earth God. Some ritual cakes are clad in graceful purple. Between you and me, Vietnam’s deities and elders are rather laid-back about this.

But the Mother Goddesses are more selective. The Mother Goddess Religion is a native faith of the Vietnamese, rooted in the ancient origins of the nation. 

Mother Thuong Thien reigns over the heavens, so ritual cakes dedicated to her must be in red, the color of authority. Mother Thuong Ngan presides over the mountains and forests, so she favors the verdant green of foliage and flora. Mother Thoai oversees the rivers and streams, always wearing white garments and expecting offerings of the same hue. If a temple visitor brings ritual cakes in the wrong color, the Mothers might turn a blind eye, but the temple keeper will scold them.

An Innovative Comeback

There was a time when ritual cake vanished, swallowed by the hard times of the economy. Now Vietnam’s life is more prosperous, temples and pagodas resume their worship with ritual cakes. But the family altar has been deprived of ritual cakes for too long. Most homeowners only have a faint recollection of it or none at all. 

The 21st century is the era of technology, so ritual cakes will depend on technology to resurrect. Sugar stirring machines ease the labor, and vacuum machines extend the shelf life of the cakes. The colors and views on ritual cakes are becoming more and more diverse. Creative minds soared, artisans have sculpted models of fairy peaches and lotus flowers.

The bright yellow-pink peach symbolizes longevity, and the lotus blooms in all hues of yellow, purple, blue, and pink, signifying vitality and prosperity. Their display is modernized as well. Gone are the days of the towering shape. Now lively combinations are in vogue. For instance, luscious peaches with verdant leaves rest cheerfully on a golden platter, or vibrant round ritual cakes adorned with auspicious patterns pop out in a white floral basket. Who can resist such exquisite, delectable and meaningful masterpieces? 

Ritual cake is back and better than before. Reinventing itself on the foundation of Vietnamese customs and culture, ritual cake is ready to reclaim its rightful place in the quintessential and unique portrait of Vietnamese tradition.

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