Hanoi (VNA/VNS)- The three main regions of Vietnam are characterised by different climate andsoil conditions that result in different traditions and customs, and some ofthese have to do with which traditional dishes are favoured and how they areprepared when Tet, the Lunar New Year, is celebrated.

Taking as example the banh chung and banhtet, which are the most important Tet dishes. While people in the northprefer banh chung – square cake, residents in the former royalcapital city of Hue in the central region prefer banh tet –the cylinder sticky rice cake that is said to symbolise a shoulder pole (theCentre) carrying two baskets (the North and the South) at either ends.

Another difference thatcan be seen is that the sizes of the cakes are smaller in the central region.Hue residents like to claim that this denotes an emphasis for sophisticationrather than volume, as also greater skills required to shape and wrap thesmaller cakes.

While banh chung and banh tet are the itemsthat Hue inherited from ancestors who came in from the North, dua mon, which is sliced papaya,kohlrabi, carrot and onion preserved in salt, sugar and vinegar, is a‘endemic’ Tet dish of locals. It is as an accompaniment to banh chung and banhtet in order to enjoy a combination of different tastes - sweet,salty, fatty and spicy.

Predicting the Tetweather in Hue is a difficult task. It might be hot at above 30 Celsius degreesor be cold under 15 Celsius degrees with continuous rains for a week. With suchunpredictable weather conditions, banh tet and dua mon arethe best choices for Tet food, since they can be preserved for up to 15 days,and people do not have to spend too much time in the kitchen.

Most Vietnamese men drink alcohol to celebrate Tet. And as a tradition, Huewomen also prepare food for the drinkers, like slices of pig stomach andRoxburgh fig (Ficus auriculata) soaked in sweetened fish sauce. This figpreparation is a Hue specialty because the tree does not grow so well outsideThua Thien- Hue province.

Blessed with a lot of sunlight and rich soil to grow plants and vegetables allyear round, the southern region enjoys an abundance of fruits, vegetables andseafood. So there is an air of unmistakable prosperity here, compared to otherrural regions in the country.

Their Tet food, apart from the banh chung and banh tet,are easy to cook, with some of the more popular dishes including pork cooked incoconut milk and a soup cooked with bitter gourd stuffed with mushrooms andpork.

Coconut palms can be found everywhere in the South, and bitter gourds grow injust about every garden. The fruit is called kho qua in thesouth. Literally, kho  means hardships in life and qua meansover. The kho qua soup conveys the wish to overcome hardshipsin the coming year.

These dishes are easy to cook, taking very little time compared to theweek-long preparations that Hue dishes involve.-VNA