In the transition time span from spring to summer (March-April), it’s the stage of the pomelo flower, which is easy to come across in vendors in Hanoi streets. At this time, Hanoi kitchens have experienced refined & exquisite culinary applications from pomelo flowers thanks to the skillful hands of Hanoians.
Let’s savor some sweets imbued with pomelo flower scent with Tam Cuisine here!

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Hanoi Cuisine – Seasonal Delights
Seasonal ingredients are one of the hallmarks of Hanoi cuisine, and the period of late March to early April is the stage of dishes from pomelo flowers. Because of skillfully capitalizing on seasonal ingredients, Hanoians always know to cook dishes with natural freshness and deliciousness, without elaborate marinating or complex cooking methods. Alongside this, they are truly adept at principles for balance in cooking, seemingly ingrained in them since childhood, to create harmonious and balanced flavors.
Simplicity is the key factor bringing about delicate and refined flavors in both the cooking and eating of Hanoians, as well as residents of the Red River Delta in general. Pomelo flowers are often marinated with various types of flour or tea, creatively crafting sweet desserts, and refreshing aromas that make diners comfortable, and ready to welcome the summer sun.

How to Choose Pomelo Flowers for Cooking
Selecting ingredients is a crucial step in creating a delicious dish. When choosing pomelo flowers, it’s important to select flowers from good varieties, especially Diễn pomelo, grown in Phúc Diễn ward, Hanoi. These budding flowers with a white hue and large petals are picked on the cooking day to be fresh because if left for too long, the petals may bend, resulting in a loss of fragrance. It is also not advisable to choose flowers on rainy days as the petals tend to get crushed and filled with water, thus losing their scent.
The remaining parts of the flowers, such as leaves, stems, and pistils, are usually not used for cooking because they can make the dish bitter; if used for making tea, they may easily become stale and moldy. Instead of that, Hanoians often use these parts if they want to arrange pomelo flower bouquets and let its sweet fragrance spread throughout the house.
During preparation, flower petals will be gently cleaned with cooled boiled water slightly diluted with salt.

Dishes with Scent of Pomelo Flowers
Floating cakes (Bánh trôi)
Pomelo flower season often coincides with the Cold Food Festival (March 3rd of the lunar calendar), with a typical dish – “bánh trôi” (or floating cakes). On this occasion, pomelo petals will be used to make “bánh trôi” with a more refined smell and flavor, which are offered to ancestors to express the honor of descendants
At Tấm Cuisine, we always aspire to preserve and spread the culinary traditions of Hanoi, especially dishes imbued with the spirit of cultural celebrations, to international travelers. Therefore, we are delighted to offer each customer visiting our kitchen during the Cold Food Festival a serving of “bánh trôi” as our gift.

Pomelo Flower Tofu Pudding (Tào phớ)
Tofu pudding is a simple yet refreshing dish that evokes a feeling of coolness on every hot summer afternoon familiar to all Vietnamese people. Made from smooth, creamy white tofu, it only needs sugar syrup to impart sweetness to each piece of tofu. The delicacy of this dish is enhanced when people in Hanoi use pomelo flowers to infuse with the sugar syrup, with a simple preparation method. They will prepare a glass jar, layer pomelo flowers and sugar alternately until the jar is full, then store it away. Then, it will be continuously fermented, and when serving tofu pudding, simply use the infused sugar syrup mixed with water, you will have a refreshing and cooling dessert for the summer.

Tapioca with Pomelo Flower Fragrance (Bột sắn dây)
Tapioca is a popular beverage during the summer in Hanoi due to its cooling nature. While it is a common dish, Hanoians also infuse pomelo flowers into dried tapioca when it has been sun-dried to about 80% (infusing pomelo flowers with 100% dried one can make it moist and moldy). This infused tapioca is often used to make refreshing sweet soups or simply mixed with cooled boiled water for a simple yet refreshing drink for the hot summer days.

These rustic dishes are deeply ingrained in the lives of Hanoians as well as Vietnamese people. In the land of a thousand years of civilization, with its rich history and culture, Hanoi cuisine also takes on a deeper and more refined dimension. While there are families with harried lifestyles nowadays who seem to have forgotten the culinary treasures of this summer season, at Tấm Cuisine, you will discover the authentic flavors of Hanoi meticulously crafted by the city’s housewives.