Gai leaves cake is associated with the lives of Ly Son people through many generations. From rustic ingredients, using traditional cake making methods, cakes are still made every day, bringing the familiar flavor of the island to people and tourists.
More than 30 years of making banh chung, Mrs. Pham Thi Phuong's family, in Tay village, An Vinh, Ly Son special zone, still preserves the traditional method of making banh it la gai.
According to Ms. Phuong, the main ingredient for making banh chung is gai leaves, a type of leaf that is commonly grown and used in many central provinces. Gai leaves must be young leaves, then remove the tendons, wash them and boil them.
Gai leaves must be boiled continuously for about 12 hours before they can be pound. This is one of the quite arduous steps. To make the cake sticky, fragrant and retain its characteristic flavor, gai leaves must be pound by hand in a stone mortar.
The cake filling is made from coconut, peanuts and some familiar ingredients, creating a characteristic buttery and fatty taste. Each stage requires the skill and experience of the cake maker to create cakes with soft, flexible crust and rich filling.
A unique feature in the way of making gai leaves banh it in Ly Son is that the cake is wrapped in dry banana leaves. This method has been maintained for many years by Mrs. Phuong's family and some households making banh it on the island.
“This banh it is characteristic of being wrapped in dry banana leaves. Wrapping in dry leaves, the cake can be stored for a long time, it is convenient for people going to sea, going to Hoang Sa, Truong Sa to carry it with them, the cake does not spoil. That is also the way that Ly Son people have been doing from before until now,” Ms. Phuong shared.
Every day, Mrs. Phuong's family makes about 1,000 cakes. During Tet, the number can increase to 7,000 - 8,000 cakes.
Ly Son gai leaves banh it has a soft, flexible crust, light aroma, blending with coconut, peanut and ginger filling. The buttery taste of peanuts, the fatty taste of coconut and the characteristic aroma of gai leaves create a unique flavor for the banh.
Not only present in the daily life of people on the island, gai leaves cake is increasingly favored by tourists. Ly Son people buy cakes to give to friends and relatives; tourists enjoy them and bring them back as gifts after each trip to the island.
In the Ly Son special zone, there are currently about 3-4 households maintaining the craft of making banh it la gai. Batches of banh are still being made regularly every day, continuing a traditional craft and preserving the familiar flavor of the people on the island through many generations.
