Story of the rice cake
Emperor Hung-Vuong had many sons. Some pursued literary careers. Others
excelled in martial arts. The youngest prince named Tiet - Lieu, however, loved
neither. Instead, he and his wife and their children chose the countryside where
they farmed the land.
One day, toward the end of the year, the emperor met with all his sons. He
told them whoever brought him the most special and unusual food would be made
the new emperor. Almost immediately, the princes left for their homes and
started looking for the most delicious food to offer the emperor. Some went
hunting in the forests and brought home birds and animals which they prepared
into the most palatable dishes. Some others sailed out to the open sea, trying
to catch fish, lobsters and other much loved sea food. Neither the rough sea nor
the violent weather could stop them from looking for the best gifts to please
the emperor.
In his search, Tiet-Lieu went back to the countryside. He saw that the rice
in his paddy fields was ripe and ready to be harvested, Walking by a glutinous
rice field, he picked some golden grains on a long stalk. He brought them close
to his nose and he could smell a delicate aroma.
His entire family then set out to harvest the rice, Tiet-Lieu himself ground
the glutinous rice grains into fine flour. His wife mixed it with water into a
soft paste. His children helped by building a fire and wrapping the cakes with
leaves. In no time, they finished, and in front of them lay two kinds of cakes:
one was round and the other was square in shape.
The round cake was made with glutinous rice dough and was called "banh
day" by Tiet-Lieu. He named the square shaped cake "banh chung"
which he made with rice, green beans wrapped in leaves. Everybody was extremely
happy with the new kind of cakes.
On the first day of Spring, the princes took the gifts of their labor and
love to the emperor. One carried a delicious dish of steamed fish and mushrooms.
Another brought with him a roasted peacock and some lobsters. All the food was
beautifully cooked.
When it was Tiet-Lieu's turn to present his gifts, he carried the "banh
chung" and his wife carried the "banh day" to the emperor. Seeing
Tiet-Lieu's simple offerings, other princes sneered at them. But after tasting
all the food brought to court by his sons, the emperor decided that the first
prize should be awarded to Tiet-Lieu.
The emperor then said that his youngest son's gifts were not only the purest,
but also the most meaningful because Tiet-Lieu had used nothing except rice
which was the basic foodstuff of the people to make them. The emperor gave up
the throne and make Tiet-Lieu the new emperor. All the other princes bowed to
show respect and congratulated the new emperor.
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