Visiting Thuan Hung paper cake craft village
By Lam Van Son in Can Tho
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| Students cycle on a road lined with trellis mats with paper cakes drying out |
When you visit the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to shop on floating markets or drift along canals and bicycle around orchards, you should not forget to visit Thuan Hung paper cake craft village.
Located on the road to Thot Not District on National Road 91 traveling for about 10 kilometers you will discover that Tan Loi 3, Tan Phu and Tan Thanh hamlets in Thuan Hung Commune, Thot Not District have more than 300 paper cake producers. A Paper cake is a kind of traditional cake which people use to wrap foods.
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| Two women make paper cakes in Thuan Hung Commune, Thot Not District in Can Tho City - Photos: Lam Van Son |
Cycling to the craft village in the morning, tourists have a chance to witness the peaceful and beautiful scenery with thousands of paper cakes dried under sunlight along the river’s banks and dozens of smoking stoves in houses.
The cake looks easy to make but it requires many phases. Firstly, you husk rice into flour, stir it with water then steam it in a boiled water pot. The pot is covered by a fabric layer on the top and put in a clay stove.
After steamed, the cakes will be dried on two-meter-long trellis mats made of coconut leaves, with two people often needed to perform this task.
Tourists will be invited by locals to enjoy freshly-made cakes with soy sauce mixed with chili and fresh cucumber. Cakes come in many flavors including salty, soft, sprinkled with black sesame and coconut.
The craft village has existed for half a century and locals sell 100 cakes for VND20,000.