Farmers grow these foods in the rich soil and strong sun.
People use sugar to cook and dry the fruit. Long ago, this helped families save food for special days like Tết.
Most mứt Tết is very sweet. Many people believe that eating sweet foods at the new year will bring luck, happiness and success. The sweet taste stands for a sweet year ahead.
During Tết, families place mứt on a special tray. The tray sits on the family altar, on a table in the living room. The fruits on the tray come from the land around them.
When families share mứt and green tea, they are sharing food grown in their own country. Mứt is not just candy. It represents the crops, the weather and the hopes of the Vietnamese people.
