Singapore, 07 Jan 2023

One of my besties came by my place during her weekend trip to unite with her boyfriend in Singapore. She gave me this package of “bánh xu xê,” also known as “bánh phu thê.” In my memory, it was a special treat only available at weddings – the signal of hope for a bright future, long-lasting happiness, and marital fidelity of the newlyweds. There is an old tale about the origin of this sweet treat, saying that it was first made by Queen Consort Chiêu Linh to send to her husband, King Lý Anh Tông, while he was on a battlefront. For that reason, it symbolizes the unshaken bond between the wife and the husband, thus, the name husband-and-wife cake. Of course, we can’t fact-check an orally recited story dating back to the 1100s, but we can all grasp its beautiful message ^◡^ At first, I thought this cake was only famous in the Northern provinces, but somehow most of the tutorial videos I found online were guided by a Southern person. Guess it’s a Vietnam thing now!