Thanh Nien Newspaper: Heirloom “seven-fire” cake has more than 200 years in Da Nang

Explaining the name of “seven-fire” cake, Mr. Huynh Duc Khien, Banh kho me Ba Lieu Me factory owner said: “The process of making the cake must go through 7 fires, so it is called a seven-fire cake. In those 7 fires, it is not completely grilled but also steamed, cooked with sugar... In the past, when both were hungry and poor, every family that had sticky rice was roasted and ground into powder to store it as food. In my family, there was a great-grandfather who went to take an exam in Hue Imperial Citadel, to prepare food for him to take on the road, easy to carry and easy to eat. After inviting the officials and neighbors to try it, everyone complimented it and from there, the sesame cake was born”.

Craft village of sesame cake was born, but over the years and the market economy, now, the number of households making this type of cake is not much. Particularly, Ba Lieu Me facility is considered the most famous and has modern production facilities.

“The sesame cake was officially commercialized in 1998, but it was not until 2013 that I built my family’s brand. In every region, there are traditional cakes and increasingly disappearing, I don’t want to lose the traditional cake profession, I spend all my time with what I have learned to create a facility with a more modern way of doing it. Setting up a facility also helps our brand go further. You know, the current confectionery market is very competitive, in terms of traditional product design, it is not as good as other types, so we compete with quality and hygiene”, Mr. Huynh Duc Sol, son of the owner, Banh kho me Ba Lieu Me, said.

Sesame cake at first glance is quite similar to Hue sesame candy but has a completely different taste. The outside is covered with a layer of sesame seeds combined with a little fragrant, sweet taste from candied sugar and ginger. Especially, the glutinous rice flour inside is crispy and delicious.

Mr. Khien also said that the day before, sesame cakes would use Tra Mi cinnamon as a seasoning for sugar water. However, when Tra Mi cinnamon village was no longer available, this ingredient was replaced with ginger.

“Although the ginger substitute is also very delicious, with the memory of the heirloom cake I once ate, I still “crave” the taste of that day more,” Mr. Huynh Duc Khien confided about the sesame cake