Boiled chickens with roses on their beaks are the best-selling food in Hanoi on Tuesday, the Kitchen Gods farewell day, as observed by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters.

As an annual tradition, Vietnamese people prepare a farewell ceremony for the Kitchen Gods to return to the Jade Emperor’s palace on the 23rd day of the last lunar month, around a week before the Tet holiday.

This year, the farewell day falls on January 25.

As boiled chicken is among the popular offerings of the ritual in northern Vietnam, Hang Be Market in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District, which is famous for selling the food, was crowded right from the start of Tuesday morning.

“Every year, we sell about 200-300 chickens on this day,” said a representative of a shop at Hang Be Market.

“This year, however, due to the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we anticipate that sales will drop.”

The offered chicken is boiled, with a rose branch placed on its beak as a highlight, and fetches from VND400,000 (US$17.6) to VND500,000 ($22).

It is often served with either red sticky rice cooked in baby jackfruit flesh or mung bean sticky rice, priced from VND30,000 ($1.32) to VND50,000 ($2.21) a portion.

The tradition of selling and buying chickens with roses on beaks on the Kitchen Gods farewell day dates back about 15 years ago, according to a chicken shop owner on Gia Ngu Street.

“I started buying chickens here seven years ago,” said Minh, who traveled some ten kilometers from her house in Long Bien District to Hang Be Market to buy the offering. 

“The chicken’s appearance is extremely eye-catching. 

“The price is a bit high, but it’s fine, as long as the offerings are brilliant.”

In addition to going directly to the store to buy the dish, many customers used delivery applications.

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