Introduction to Jiangshan Rice Cake
Jiangshan Rice Cake is one of the characteristic pastries of the Han ethnic group in Jiangshan, Zhejiang Province, which contains the meaning of steady progress and good wishes. Making rice cakes is a traditional custom of celebrating the Spring Festival in rural areas of Jiangshan, with a long history of production, and it is difficult to determine when it began. After the beginning of winter every year, each household begins to prepare the ingredients for making rice cakes. At the end of the year, housewives use their ancestral skills to carefully cook various pastries and delicacies to entertain friends and family
How did the history of Jiangshan rice cake come aboutLike the personality of Jiangshan people, the biggest impression of Jiangshan rice cake in the past was that it was "hard". 66 year old Luo Zenglu told reporters that the "hard" Jiangshan rice cake is equivalent to compressed biscuits nowadays. Luo Zenglu said that when he was a child, he saw a anecdote in an old version of "Song of Everlasting Sorrow": it is said that when Li Zicheng wanted to attack Beijing, the court urgently dispatched troops stationed in Jiangnan to rescue him. When crossing Jiangshan, in order to accelerate the marching speed, the person in charge of catering in the army invented Jiangshan rice cake. It is mainly made of glutinous rice, rice, white (red) sugar, etc., supplemented by peanuts, sesame seeds, lotus seeds, wild fruits, orange peels, beans, etc., and steamed in a certain proportion. The rescue team mainly feeds on Jiangshan rice cake and only eats two meals a day, traveling 200 miles. Unexpectedly, when passing through Xianxia Ridge in Jiangshan, it was learned that Emperor Chongzhen had been hanged in Coal Mountain. So the troops dispersed in the Jiangshan generation, and it was rumored that the place name "Jiangshan" also had the meaning of restoring the Ming Dynasty. Although the legend may not be credible, the "History of Ming Dynasty" does record the battle of troops entering Fujian through Xianxia Pass. The area around Xianxia Pass has always been a 'war of all sizes' throughout historyThe production method of Jiangshan rice cake
It is reported that Jiangshan rice cake is roughly made as follows: 40% glutinous rice and 60% indica rice are soaked in water and washed, soaked in water, the two types of rice are separated, steamed until fragrant, poured out, dried and fried until golden brown, mixed with brown sugar, sometimes mixed with sesame, osmanthus, fennel, etc., finely ground into powder, mixed with peanuts, steamed in a steamer, and cut into slices. Taste the sweetness with a fragrant aroma, and the pine and crispy texture is delicious, making it a top tier side dish for children and the elderly. Most farmers now make rice cakes and have switched from brown sugar to white sugar