Chung cakes with salmon stand out amid pork shortage
A producer of the traditional Tet Chung cake has attracted lots of customers after using salmon to replace pork.
"Everybody is already familiar with the pork Chung cakes. It's traditional so I was under pressure making something different," she said.
After months of experiments, she successfully made salmon Chung cakes that still have most of the traditional taste. Each 800gr cake costs VND220,000 (USD9.50). Wholesale buyers have to order days in advance. Last Tet Holiday, she sold 700 cakes. Hoai expected the number to double or triple this time.
Minh Tu, a customer in Hanoi, said, "Since there is a new taste, I buy salmon Chung cakes every week because my children like them. I was a bit hesitant at first but the cakes are really good and suit my taste."
According to Tu, every new idea will face controversy but it's acceptable when the changes are an improvement but still keep the tradition.
Besides salmon, other ingredients including rice and green beans are still the same. Hoai has her own secret marinade to keep the traditional taste. Hoai said she had the idea to make salmon Chung cake when she wanted to give Chung cake to a Muslim friend as a gift. She hoped that Chung cakes can be eaten by everyone in the world.
"I'm really happy that salmon Chung cakes are welcomed by so many people and have been to many countries like France, Germany, Netherlands and the UK. It's a pride and my wish when making the cakes," she said.
Chung cake with salmon
Nguyen Thu Hoai said making salmon Chung cakes was an initial challenge."Everybody is already familiar with the pork Chung cakes. It's traditional so I was under pressure making something different," she said.
After months of experiments, she successfully made salmon Chung cakes that still have most of the traditional taste. Each 800gr cake costs VND220,000 (USD9.50). Wholesale buyers have to order days in advance. Last Tet Holiday, she sold 700 cakes. Hoai expected the number to double or triple this time.
Minh Tu, a customer in Hanoi, said, "Since there is a new taste, I buy salmon Chung cakes every week because my children like them. I was a bit hesitant at first but the cakes are really good and suit my taste."
According to Tu, every new idea will face controversy but it's acceptable when the changes are an improvement but still keep the tradition.
Besides salmon, other ingredients including rice and green beans are still the same. Hoai has her own secret marinade to keep the traditional taste. Hoai said she had the idea to make salmon Chung cake when she wanted to give Chung cake to a Muslim friend as a gift. She hoped that Chung cakes can be eaten by everyone in the world.
"I'm really happy that salmon Chung cakes are welcomed by so many people and have been to many countries like France, Germany, Netherlands and the UK. It's a pride and my wish when making the cakes," she said.
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