Pumpkin cake of the Tay people in Huu Lien commune, Lang Son province (Photo: The Hung/VOV)

The Tay people in Lang Son have made pumpkin cakes for hundreds of years. They grow pumpkins on high hillsides and store them in their kitchen to make cakes for family gatherings and guests.

The pumpkins are peeled, cut into pieces, and steamed over a wood-fired stove. When softened, they are mashed by hand or with a wooden pestle and mixed with glutinous rice flour. Long experience eliminates any need for measurement. The pumpkin dough should be elastic, neither too dry nor too wet, fragrant and naturally sweet, without any bitterness.

Pumpkin cakes are wrapped in banana leaves. (Photo: The Hung/VOV)

“Pumpkin cake has no filling, just the mixture of pumpkin and glutinous rice flour. If you like it sweeter, you can add some sugar. Usually, we wrap it in banana leaves and steam it for about one and a half hours,” said Lo Thu Phuong, a veteran cake maker.

Once shaped, the cakes are either steamed to preserve their softness or lightly fried to create a crispy outer layer while remaining chewy inside. The aroma of pumpkin and glutinous rice filling the kitchen awakens recollections of past harvest seasons.

For the Tay people, pumpkin cake symbolizes their bond with nature and a frugal way of life that wastes nothing bestowed by the land.

Tourists try to make pumpkin cakes in Huu Lien commune, Lang Son province. (Photo: The Hung/VOV)

Nguyen Thanh Dan, a visitor from Hanoi, said: “The cake is very tasty, a bit chewier than banh giay, glutinous rice cakes. The sweetness and fragrance of pumpkin is just right and very pleasant.”

Visitor Thanh Hong shared her feeling: “At first, it resembles glutinous rice cakes. But when I chew it, I notice the pumpkin’s sweetness with a bit of sugar. It doesn’t stick to your hands at all.”

For the Tay people in Huu Lien commune, pumpkin cake is a daily staple, with each piece carrying the essence of their distinctive culture.