CAN THO (VNS) – The second southern folk cake festival will open on Saturday at the Hoa Su Restaurant in Can Tho City, providing a cultural and gastronomic feast to welcome Tet (Lunar New Year).

The three-day festival is organised by the Ninh Kieu District People's Committee and the Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre in collaboration with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Can Tho Tourism Joint Stock Company and other agencies.

The festival will celebrate the long tradition of southern folk cakes that dates back thousands of years. The most famous of these include banh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake filled with green bean and pork), banh u (small pyramidal glutinous rice cake) and banh tet la cam (violet cylindrical glutinous rice cake), the last one being a Can Tho specialty.

Other traditional cakes eaten daily as well as on major holidays include banh xeo (thin pancake), and banh bo dua (coconut-flavoured sponge cake).

The festival will be a very good opportunity for businesses and makers of traditional foods to promote their brands, organisers said.

Around 20 firms, traditional cake makers in the city and the Mekong Delta will show off 70 different kinds of cakes prepared by skilled chefs.

Through the local specialties, the event also aims at promoting agricultural products of the Mekong Delta provinces.

Apart from sampling the different cakes, visitors can join in some folk games and contests such as wrapping the cylindrical glutinous rice cake, pouring pancakes and trimming vegetables.

The cake fest will also have an exhibition area, photo galleries, a performance area, arts and crafts.

The city expects to build up the festival to an annual cultural and tourism promotion event where residents and visitors can have fun and entertain themselves while welcoming spring and enjoying the traditional culture of the South.

Last year, the festival was held at an old market in the city. — VNS