Ka Tum, shaped like a pomegranate, is a specialty of the Khmer ethnic people in An Giang province. (Photo: Ngoc Anh)

In the Khmer language, “Ka Tum” means “pomegranate” or “tightly wrapping.” Glutinous rice is soaked for about 30 minutes before being used. Coconut is hand-shredded so that the strands are thin and not crushed as it is when grated by machine. The fragrant, sweet, and nutty cake is a mixture of rice, coconut, white bean, a small amount of peanut, and a little sugar and salt.

“To make it tastier, you can mix coconut milk with the rice. We make Ka Tum cake all year round,” said Neang Nghanh, a resident of O Lam commune.

Ka Tum cake is wrapped in sugar palm leaves. (Photo: baoangiang.com.vn)

An important part of making Ka Tum cake is weaving the cake shell from sugar palm leaves. The palm-leave shell must be woven evenly and tightly without any holes to avoid water leaking in while boiling. Otherwise the cake will lose its flavor. The sugar palm leaves also add a distinctive aroma to the cakes and make them chewier.

“It takes a lot of time to weave the shells, but filling it with rice is quick. We cook the cake in boiling water for about 50 minutes. Ka Tum is a symbol of family prosperity and happiness,” said Neang Phuong, a Ka Tum maker in O Lam commune.

Khmer women weave sugar palm leaves to wrap Ka Tun cakes. (Photo: Ngoc Anh/ VOV)

Ka Tum cake is often made in large quantities during major Khmer festivals, such as Chol Chnam Thmay, the New Year celebration in April, Sene Dolta, the ancestral worshipping festival on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, and Ok Om Bok, the Moon worshipping festival from the ninth to the tenth lunar month. The cake represents the hospitality of the Khmer people toward friends and visitors.

To enjoy the cake, you must find the joint of the leaves to open the shell.

Artisan Neang Phuong said that the wholesale price is about 25 cents per cake. “On busy days, we can sell around 500 to 600 pieces, sometimes even up to 1,000. The cakes can be kept for two days. We even deliver them to Hanoi or Can Tho City. Eating the cake is believed to bring prosperity and happiness to one’s family.”

A well-made cake has a neatly woven shell with no filling exposed. (Photo: baoangiang.com.vn)

As fewer people in An Giang province nowadays make Ka Tum cake, the Women’s Union of O Lam commune has established a cooperative to preserve and develop the craft.

“The Ka Tum cake making group has eight members, with artisan Neang Phuong as the leader. We organize training classes on making Ka Tum cakes and helps those who want to open a workshop to access preferential loans from the Social Policy Bank. The commune also introduce Ka Tum cakes at exhibitions and trade fairs, and has registered the product under the OCOP(One Commune One Product) program,” said Neang Sa Rum, the Union’s Chairwoman.  

Ka Tum has been nominated for a Vietnam record with the title: “The most elaborately wrapped cake using sugar palm leaves in Viet Nam.”