Skillful chefs from 13 countries have worked with their Vietnamese counterparts to make a gigantic banh xeo, or Vietnamese rice pancake, weighing 150kg as they convened in the central city of Da Nang for an international food festival earlier this week.
The giant banh xeo was made as part of the inaugural 2019 Da Nang International Food Festival, which wrapped up its five days of activities on Thursday.
The highlight of the closing ceremony was when 23 chefs, consisting of 13 foreigners and ten Vietnamese, began to make the giant rice pancake on a copper round tray that measures 3.68 meters in diameter.
The international chefs are from Germany, Mexico, Australia, India, China, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Sweden, Turkey, Greece, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States.
 |
| Thirteen foreign chefs prepare the giant rice pancake at the Da Nang International Food Festival 2019 on June 6. Photo: Doan Nhan / Tuoi Tre |
The Vietnamese pancake is made of rice flour, water, and turmeric powder, then stuffed with pork, shrimp, diced green onion, mung bean, and bean sprouts.
The cake, including all essential ingredients, weighed about 150 kg and could serve as many as 200 diners, according to the organizers.
Australian chef Bernd Michael Uber said that what made the mammoth banh xeo special is not its impressive size but its meaning as a testament to the enthusiasm international chefs had for Vietnamese culture.
 |
| The mammoth banh xeo is pictured after completion. Photo: Doan Nhan / Tuoi Tre |
During the five-day festival, held on the east side of Dragon Bridge on Tran Hung Dao Street in Son Tra District, the 13 international chefs put their cooking skills on display and introduced their countries’ traditional dishes to more than 10,000 local people and tourists.
Nguyen Xuan Binh, deputy director of Da Nang tourism department, said the second Da Nang International Food Festival will take place in 2020, after which it will become an annual festival.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
