The making of banh tet (a cylindrical glutinous rice cake) is a traditional craft handed down across generations. With its unique characteristics, color and flavor, banh tet in Dai An Khe Village has become a specialty of Quang Tri Province.
The people of Dai An Khe are always proud of their banh tet due to its special appearance and meaning. The cake is shaped like a semicircle and two cooked cakes are tied into a pair. Locals said that a pair of banh tet symbolizes harmony, happiness and the fullness of family.
Dai An Khe banh tet attracts diners through the jade green color of the sticky rice layer. This special color comes from katuk, which is crushed and filtered to get the first water, and soaked with the fragrant sticky rice.
Next, the cook chooses banana leaves to wrap the cake, which has a filling consisting of fatty meat and crushed green beans. After the cake is wrapped, it is boiled for some 10 hours. Banh tet not only has an eye-catching appearance that drowns out the fat of the meat and green beans but also perfectly blends all the delicious and nutritious flavors.
In 2021, Hai Thuong Commune chose Dai An Khe banh tet to participate in the One Commune-One Product (OCOP) Program. The cake was rated as a three-star OCOP product. Nowadays, the craft of making banh tet not only contributes to preserving tradition but also helps the locals of Dai An Khe Village boost their incomes.
