“Banh khuc in Diem village is totally hand made with carefully selected ingredients. The covering layer is made from non-sticky rice and special cudweed.

Banh khuc in Diem village is totally hand made with carefully selected ingredients.

There are 2 types of filling including banh khuc with mung bean, fat pork and pepper and banh khuc with dried onion, wood ear mushrooms, minced pork belly and pepper.

Banh khuc of Diem village is half-moon shaped. Banh khuc is steamed within 15 to 20 minutes. This dish is best served when it is still hot to enjoy its whole delicious taste”, said Nguyen Thi Hue, an experienced banh khuc maker.

Today, banh khuc is often prepared by the people of Diem village to welcome honored guests or celebrate traditional festivals such as the first full moon festival, the Lady King temple festival (held on the 6th day of the second lunar month) and the well-bailing festival (on the 3rd day of the third lunar month).

In addition to the cooked ones, locals also sell uncooked banh khuc for visitors to store it longer and use it whenever they want.

On the banks of poetic Cau river, Tho Ha (in Van Ha village) has been renown for the traditional rice paper making craft with 2 main types including coconut rice cracker and rice paper.

To create delicious rice papers, the locals are careful right from the very first step of selecting ingredients.

The flour used for making rice paper is made from ground fresh white rice. Once the powder is ready, craftsman will begin the steaming process. For rice paper, the flour must be spread evenly to create thin, not too thick papers.

In contrast, coconut rice cracker requires a thicker layer of flour, one layer with only flour and the other covered with sesame, peanut and coconut.

"Currently, more than 300 households in the village produce rice paper using machines, which significantly improve both productivity and quality. The local authorities are developing a plan to promote Tho Ha rice paper as a typical OCOP product closely attached to tourism development and the trademark of the traditional craft village”, said Nguyen Duc Thanh, head of Tho Ha residential group.

The cuisine of Bac Ninh carries the breath of tradition and the skillfulness of rural people through each simple yet deeply distinctive dish.

In line with Diem Village’s banh khuc and Tho Ha’s rice paper, the Quan họ region boasts dozens of must-try specialties such as banh phu the (husband-wife cake) in Dinh Bang (Tu Son ward), banh te (rice cake) in Cho village (Yen Phong commune), nem Bui Xa (fermented pork) in Thuan Thanh ward, banh da Ke (rice cracker) in Bac Giang ward, bun (vermicelli) and banh gio (sticky rice cake soaked in herbal ash water) in Da Mai ward.

Thanks to the well-known relic system including Do temple, Dau pagoda, Dong Ho traditional painting village, Bo Da and Vinh Nghiem pagoda together with hundreds of unique folk festivals, Bac Ninh have big potentials for tourism development combined with food experiencing.

Tourists come to Bac Ninh not only for sightseeing but they can also experience making cakes or rice papers, enjoy tasty local dishes and buy those products as souvenirs.

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