Dao Tien people in Na Cham village make banana root cake on the 15th of the 7th lunar month

Na Cham village in Kien Dai commune, Tuyen Quang province, is home to the Dao Tien ethnic group, who have long lived in close connection with the forests. Every year, on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, villagers climb the mountains to collect wild banana roots to make a traditional cake known as banana root cake. This cake is an indispensable offering in the Dao Tien people’s worship of gods and ancestors.

Wild banana trees grow in clumps on the mountain ranges of Na Cham village, Kien Dai commune.

Near the 15th of the 7th lunar month, people eagerly gather to collect banana roots and trees to make cakes.

The best part to make cakes is the banana root and the part of the tree that can still be used to make cakes.

Banana roots and banana stems are sliced ​​and chopped.

Dao Tien women in Na Cham village often use stone mortars and wooden pestles to pound bananas.

Banana flour is mixed with sticky rice flour to make cakes.

Banana oil is added to the bean filling for fragrance.

Wild banana leaves are boiled, dried, and wiped thoroughly before wrapping.

Dao Tien ethnic women in Na Cham village wrap cakes together to eat on the full moon.

Banana root cakes are placed on wooden sides to cook.

Firewood is burned, and dried banana leaves are added under the lid to retain steam, helping the cakes cook evenly.

The offering tray on the full moon day of the 7th lunar month of the Dao Tien people in Na Cham village cannot lack traditional banana root cakes.

Banana root cakes have a sweet, fragrant, and rich taste, blending sticky rice, green beans, and wild banana roots, creating a unique dish with a strong mountain and forest flavor.

Quang Hoa