For the Mong ethnic people, in a tray of offerings during holidays and New Year celebrations, in addition to wine, meat, and wild vegetables, ‘banh day’ is an indispensable dish to offer to ancestors. The cake is not only a traditional dish with deep spiritual meaning, but also a dish to serve guests and give as a gift to them.

The cake of the Mong ethnic people is elaborately made. To make fragrant and sticky cakes, it is necessary to choose white, fragrant sticky rice with large and even grains. The rice is washed, soaked in water for about 6-8 hours, then taken out to drain, and put into a pot to steam. After cooking the sticky rice for 1 - 2 hours, take it out and pound as soon as the sticky rice is still hot.

The Mong people's mortar for pounding ‘banh day’ is made of a strong, smooth-grained, fragrant, hollow tree trunk, while the pestle is made of hard and heavy woods. Pounding ‘banh day’ requires a lot of strength, so the pounders are usually healthy young men. Pounding the cake also demands technique and the smooth coordination of a pair of healthy young men, reflecting the attachment, solidarity, and mutual support of the community.

The bustling sounds of the pounding pestle makes the atmosphere of festivals, market fairs or traditional New Year celebrations of the Mong ethnic people even more happy and cozy. Mua A Senh, a resident in Ta Xua commune, shared that pounding ‘banh day’ must be fast and skillful. If you do not pound quickly or firmly, the pestle will stick to the sticky rice, it will be difficult to lift and lose strength, and the sticky rice will not be soft. At first, you must pound lightly so that the rice is mixed and sticky. After that, you must use all your strength to pound continuously until the sticky rice is soft and smooth, and can be used to make cakes. The more thoroughly you pound, the more glutinous and delicious the cakes will be. And they will be preserved for a longer time.

When the pounding finishes, Mong women often take boiled eggs, then use the yolk to rub them evenly on their hands and leaves to shape and wrap the cake so it is not sticky, as well as to create the fragrant flavour of the cake. The difference between ‘banh day’ and other types of cake is that it has no filling inside and no spices are used. ‘Banh day’ can be eaten immediately or cooled and then cut into small pieces to be fried or grilled on a charcoal stove for about 5-10 minutes. When the cake puffs slightly, the crust turns golden, the inside is soft and has the characteristic fragrancy of mountainous sticky rice, it can be eaten.

In the past, the Mong people's ‘banh day’ was usually only pounded during national holidays to serve distinguished guests and give as a gift. In recent years, to meet the needs of tourists who want to experience pounding ‘banh day’ and enjoy the cake, tours and homestays also organise activities to experience pounding ‘banh day’.

Each mountainous dish contains unique cultural features of each ethnic group. ‘Banh day’ contributes to enriching the culinary culture of the mountainous district of Bac Yen, becoming a unique tourism product that impresses tourists.