Experiencing Vegetarian Culinary Culture During Tet

When thinking of Tet, people immediately imagine “a lavish feast” with many elaborate, varied, and flavorful dishes. Perhaps that’s why vegetarian cuisine is like a fresh breeze, offering a completely different taste experience. Using mainly vegetables as ingredients, combined with light preparation methods, the vegetarian Tet feast still captivates diners. Join Vietjet to explore the vegetarian culinary culture during Tet along with delicious vegetarian dish suggestions for the early days of the new year.

1. Understanding Vegetarian Culinary Culture During Tet

1.1 Why do many people eat vegetarian food during Tet?

Vietnam, heavily influenced by Buddhism, has the custom of eating vegetarian on full moon days or the first day of the lunar month to minimize harm to living beings. Many believe that eating vegetarian at the beginning of the new year brings blessings and wishes for peace throughout the year. Additionally, light vegetarian dishes help cleanse the body and offer many health benefits.

Eating vegetarian during Tet is not only healthy but also carries many auspicious meanings.

1.2 Characteristics of the Vegetarian Menu During Tet

Compared to regular days, the vegetarian Tet menu is often more special and diverse. This is because the Tet culinary culture of Vietnamese people emphasizes abundance and wishes for a prosperous new year. The vegetarian Tet menu is usually presented as a feast including appetizers, main dishes, and side dishes. The two most popular vegetarian culinary styles during Tet are “mock meat vegetarian feast” and “pure vegetarian feast.”

Mock meat vegetarian feast: These dishes imitate meat dishes in both appearance and flavor. Examples include vegetarian “gio lua” (Vietnamese pork roll), cinnamon rolls, braised dishes, etc. These feasts are flavorful with many spices.
Pure vegetarian feast: With the growing trend of healthy eating, pure vegetarian feasts are increasingly popular. The menu focuses on plant-based ingredients without animal products, creating light yet nutritious dishes. The dishes often have bright, attractive colors, bringing a fresh and pleasant feeling.

Alongside daily dishes such as rice, soup, vegetables, braised and stir-fried dishes, the Tet vegetarian menu also features traditional cakes like vegetarian “banh chung” or “banh tet,” with fillings such as mung beans, coconut, or banana. Sweet cakes also add diversity to the Tet vegetarian cuisine.

See more: Tet Cuisine: Discovering the culinary culture of the three regions

2. Delicious Vegetarian Dishes During Tet

Vietnamese vegetarian cuisine is diverse, notable for nutritious and light dishes. Particularly, vegetarian dishes during Tet convey traditional beauty and blessings:

2.1 Vegetarian Banh Chung/Banh Tet

Banh Chung and Banh Tet are two traditional cakes, indispensable in the Tet feast of Vietnamese people. Vegetarian versions are prepared similarly to the meat versions, made from sticky rice wrapped in dong leaves or banana leaves. The vegetarian filling may include mung beans, shiitake mushrooms, and wood ear mushrooms, providing delicious and rich flavors.

2.2 Vegetarian Fried Spring Rolls

Vegetarian fried spring rolls are a must-have on Tet day 1. Made from glass noodles, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, carrots, cellophane noodles, and tofu, wrapped in rice paper and fried until crispy. They have a crunchy outside and soft, fragrant inside, very appealing. You can prepare them in advance and freeze for convenience during Tet, just reheat by frying to enjoy.

Fried spring rolls complete the Tet vegetarian feast perfectly.

2.3 Stir-fried Vegetarian Glass Noodles

Stir-fried vegetarian glass noodles with various vegetables such as carrots, greens, mushrooms, and delicious seasonings. The dish offers the sweet freshness of vegetables, fragrant mushrooms, and chewy noodles.

2.4 Vegetarian Sour Soup

This soup features the tangy taste of tamarind, the sweetness of tomatoes, and the aroma of mushrooms and vegetables. When tasted, you can feel the harmonious flavors creating a refreshing soup that stimulates the appetite.

2.5 Bitter Melon Salad

Tet culinary culture focuses on luck expressed through each dish. Traditionally, people eat “bitter melon” during Tet to let go of hardships and difficulties of the old year and welcome good things in the new year. The bitter melon salad has a mild bitter taste balanced by the sweet and sour dressing, making it tasty and good for health.

3. Notes When Eating Vegetarian During Tet

Diverse dishes: Vegetarian dishes today are no longer limited to just vegetables and beans but offer many appealing choices. With skillful ingredient combinations and new recipes, you can enrich the Tet vegetarian menu from appetizers to desserts.
Nutritional balance: Important to ensure energy intake. Vegetarian meals need enough protein from tofu, beans, nuts; fats from olive oil, sesame; and fiber from greens and vegetables.
Proper preparation and storage: Plant-based foods, especially mushrooms, beans, nuts, seaweed, require proper soaking or preparation to ensure nutrition. Study carefully to have tasty, safe, and high-quality dishes.
Limit fried and heavily seasoned foods: To enhance flavor, many families use many spices and frying. However, oils and spices can cause indigestion, greasiness, and are not good for health.

Vegetarian dishes are increasingly delicious and diverse.

See more: When to buy Tet flight tickets? How to buy cheap Tet tickets

Above is information about vegetarian culinary culture during Tet. Vietjet hopes you have more ideas about vegetarian rice on Tet. Tet vegetarian cuisine not only reflects the sophistication of Vietnamese cuisine but is also nutritious and delicious. As the new year approaches, Vietjet opens early sales of 2.6 million domestic flight tickets starting at just 890,000 VND, helping you easily enjoy Tet vegetarian cuisine from all three regions and reunite with family over the feast. Plan early and book now to enjoy attractive offers from Vietjet!

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