Ms. Xiem (left) is making banh xeo at home

VietNamNet Bridge - Among 39 artists and artisans chosen to travel to the U.S. for the 41st Smithsonian Folklife Festival from June 27 to July 8, special attention goes to a 66-year-old woman who hawks food on the streets in the Mekong Delta City of Can Tho.

Nguyen Thi Xiem, the cake peddler, was introduced to baking traditional Vietnamese cakes and peddling them on the streets for a living at a very early age.

From her low-roofed house on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street in Binh Thuy District, come delicious odors every morning. It is here she makes several kinds of southern cakes, including: banh chuoi (banana cupcakes), banh xeo (rice pancake filled with shrimp, meat and bean sprouts), banh khot (molded rice cakes), banh hap (steamed cake), banh it tran (sticky rice patty), and banh la mit (rice cake wrapped in jackfruit leaves).

Ms. Xiem has tremendous experience in this area; she has been baking for over fifty years. “Every region has different tastes,” she said. “Making cakes is not just about how to make them tasty but also how to create each one to a specific taste.”

“Her cakes are not only delicious, but they are also reminiscent of my favorite cakes that my mother used to bake when I was young. Few people today make traditional southern cakes such as banh chuoi, banh khot, banh it tran and banh la mit and so we do not have a lot of opportunity to enjoy these nowadays”, said Ms. To Thi Le, Xiem’s long-time customer.

Ms. Tran Ngoc Nga, vice director of the city’s Department of Culture and Information, said that for these very reasons we decided to invite her to take part in local food fairs and the 41st Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

“Sticking meticulously to traditional baking techniques, her cakes keep their original flavors. We consider them an intangible part of our cultural heritage,” she added.

We chose Ms. Xiem for the festival because her cakes ensure both quality and tradition, Ms. Hoang Buu Hieu, director of the City Museum, explained. She also performs traditional baking techniques skillfully and in addition, we want to introduce her to international friends, a Vietnamese artisan descended from a cake peddler, she added.

Before departing, the baker said she was very worried about her performance in the U.S. Anyhow, she is determined to exert herself and show the Vietnamese rustic cakes to the world.

(Source: SGGP)