Hanoi charms visitors with its elegance, refinement and 1,000-year-old history, as well as its unique culinary culture. Heritage is honored to introduce some favorite cakes from Hanoi.

Green young rice cakes (Bánh cốm)

Young green rice cakes are made from young rice grown in Vong Village. The best young rice is chosen and soaked until soft, then gently stir-fired with sugar. The filling is made of mung beans that have been carefully rinsed and soaked for three hours, then steamed. The last step is to knead the cooked mung beans with sugar and grated copra over a stove. The cake’s filling is round and represents Heaven, while its outer covering is square and represents Earth. With a subtle flavor and scent, young green rice cakes are a local delicacy.

Conjugal fruit cakes (Bánh xu xê hoa quả)

Conjugal fruit cakes are made of finely kneaded filtered rice flour mixed with fruit juice. The cakes are steamed until the dough turns transparent, revealing the color of the fruit. Inside this crystalline cover lies a filling of mung beans stir-fried with copra. Biting into one of these soft cakes you can taste the sweet dough, the buttery mung beans and the flavorful fresh fruit.

Flax cakes (Bánh gai)

  Considered one of the most refined treats in Hanoi, flax cakes are made of glutinous rice that has been carefully soaked, then ground to make dough. The cakes get their unique taste from flax leaves, which are carefully selected and washed, then steamed for 10 hours. The steamed flax leaves are ground and mixed with the sticky dough to form the cakes’ cover. The filling is made of well-steamed mung beans and a chunk of fatty pork coated in sugar, which adds a rich, buttery taste to the cakes. A perfect flax cake should have a chewy exterior. The flavors of the flax leaves, mildly sweet mung beans, and rich pork should all be distinct, yet combine together to create an unforgettable taste of Hanoi.