Tet Nguyen Dan (Lunar New Year) is not only a time for family reunions but also a time when the finest aspects of Vietnamese cuisine come together. The Tet feast is a harmonious blend of traditional flavors and the profound cultural significance of each region.
Northern Vietnamese Tet cuisine: Rich and refined.
The Tet feast in Northern Vietnam typically emphasizes harmony in color and flavor, and is presented in an elegant manner.
- Banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake ): A symbolic dish representing the earth and sky, the soul of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) in Northern Vietnam, expressing gratitude to ancestors and the wish for a prosperous and abundant new year.
- Pickled onions : The sour, spicy, and crunchy flavor of pickled onions balances the richness of sticky rice cakes and fatty meat, making them an indispensable “anti-fatigue” dish.
- Pork jelly : A unique dish made from simmered pork leg and pig’s ears, then naturally solidified in cold weather, resulting in a rich yet refreshing flavor.
- Pork sausage/pork head sausage : Pork sausage (or pork head sausage) is round and full, symbolizing completeness and prosperity; pork head sausage is crispy and chewy, a favorite dish during Tet (Lunar New Year).
- Boiled chicken : Boiled free-range chicken with golden-yellow skin symbolizes good fortune and prosperity, and is often served with a dipping sauce of salt, pepper, and lemon.
- Spring rolls (Nem rán/Chả giò) : A crispy, delicious dish that appears on most large and small feast tables during Tet (Vietnamese New Year).
Central Vietnamese Tet cuisine: Rich in flavor and simple in taste.
Due to climatic and geographical conditions, Central Vietnamese cuisine during Tet (Lunar New Year) tends to have a richer, more rustic flavor.
- Banh Tet : Similar to Banh Chung, Banh Tet is an indispensable traditional cake, with its long cylindrical shape symbolizing stability, resilience, and family unity.
- Pickled vegetables : Consisting of pickled shallots, carrots, and papaya, often served with sticky rice cakes or marinated meat, this dish is very appetizing with rice.
- Pork marinated in fish sauce : Pork belly is marinated in delicious fish sauce, garlic, and chili peppers. The preparation is simple, but the flavor is rich and it can be eaten for a long time.
- Fermented pork sausage (Nem chua) and beef sausage (Chả bò) : Famous Tet holiday snacks from Central Vietnam, with a harmonious balance of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors.
Southern Vietnamese Tet cuisine: Rich and generous.
Southern Vietnamese cuisine during Tet (Lunar New Year) reflects a spirit of generosity, with many dishes symbolizing wishes for wealth and good fortune.
- Braised pork with eggs and coconut milk : An indispensable dish, with pork and eggs braised in coconut milk, creating a beautiful color and rich, creamy flavor, symbolizing abundance and prosperity.
- Pickled shallots with dried shrimp : Crispy pickled shallots served with dried shrimp are a perfect pairing with braised pork, effectively balancing the flavors.
- Bitter gourd soup stuffed with meat : This soup, with its bitter taste symbolizing past hardships, and its generous meat filling, signifies dispelling suffering and welcoming good fortune and blessings in the new year.
- Sausage : A popular and convenient food that can be prepared in many different ways, bringing a distinctive flavor to the Southern Vietnamese Tet holiday.
Despite the differences in dishes, all Tet feasts in the three regions of Vietnam share a common meaning: wishing for a new year of peace, prosperity, and good fortune , and providing an opportunity for family members to gather and enjoy the warm atmosphere together.
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