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Super snacks with fascinating stories to sink those teeth into
By Xu Wenwen |
March 22, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
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SNACKING is a part of life. Sweet or savory, soft or crunchy, hot or cold, snacks help us fight off hunger pains between meals or are enjoyed simply because they taste so good.
Hangzhou has a variety of snacks including some with interesting legends, some that cannot be found elsewhere and some with a good reputation around the world.
Shanghai Daily recommends three snacks that originated in Hangzhou, have a good reputation around the country and are hard to find anywhere else.
Cong bao hui (deep-fried dough sticks and scallion wrapped in a thin pancake)
Cong bao hui is served as a finger food or a light snack. It is easy to make and is similar to a crepe. A deep-fried dough stick, shallots and choice of sweet or spicy sauce are wrapped into a thin pancake.
Cong bao means wrap with shallot, while hui refers to a person, the notorious Song Dynasty (960-1279) chancellor Qin Hui, who is widely regarded as a traitor in China for his part in the political execution of General Yue Fei, best known for leading the defense of Southern Song against invaders from the Jurchen-ruled Jin Dynasty in northern China.
It is said in Hangzhou, the then capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), people hated Qin Hui so much that they made a paste shaped like him and fried it in a pan.
Later someone vented more hatred by crushing the paste again and again.
Eventually someone wrapped the fried paste as well as shallots in a thin pancake and crushed it on a heating pan until it was crispy and flat. Presto! A delicious new snack was born.
Soon it became a cheap and popular snack around the city. Even today locals eat it from time to time. It is easily found on many streets and lanes around the city. Street vendors use a coal cake oven to make it.Wushan puff
Wushan puff is a cone-shaped crispy pastry with icing sugar on top. It is slightly sweet and melts smoothly in the mouth.
It is now a common Hangzhou dessert although Wushan puff originated in Anhui Province more than 1,000 years ago. At the time Zhao Kuangyin, the first emperor of Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) was involved in a war and local people made this food to support Zhao's army. After Zhao became the emperor, he listed the snack as one of his favorite foods.
After the royal family retreated to southern China and settled in Hangzhou, the snack was popularized among Hangzhou folks.
Stores making and selling the puffs were initially mostly around Wu Hill, or Wushan in Chinese, and due to the puff being shaped like a hill, it is named Wushan puff.
The sweet snack was also highly praised by Su Dongpo, a celebrated literati and mayor of Hangzhou.
Today, people can still find Wushan puffs at a bunch of stalls on Hefang Street at the foot of Wu Hill.
Mao er duo(cat ear-shaped wheaten food in soup)
Mao er duo can be found in many areas of China, and is named because it is shaped like a cat's ear, which is similar to Italian macaroni. As the story goes, macaroni originated from mao er duo by Marco Polo.
However, under the same name there are different sorts of the flour-made food. The Hangzhou version is nail-sized dough served in soup with a salty and mild taste.
The flour dough is cooked with shelled shrimps, dried scallops and peas in a chicken soup base. A bit of umami flavoring is added to the dough, which on its own is tasteless.
The best place to have a bowl of mao er duo is Zhiweiguan Restaurant at 83 Renhe Road, the most popular snack restaurant in Hangzhou, where xiaolongbao (little steamed buns) is also strongly recommended.
Hangzhou has a variety of snacks including some with interesting legends, some that cannot be found elsewhere and some with a good reputation around the world.
Shanghai Daily recommends three snacks that originated in Hangzhou, have a good reputation around the country and are hard to find anywhere else.
Cong bao hui (deep-fried dough sticks and scallion wrapped in a thin pancake)
Cong bao hui is served as a finger food or a light snack. It is easy to make and is similar to a crepe. A deep-fried dough stick, shallots and choice of sweet or spicy sauce are wrapped into a thin pancake.
Cong bao means wrap with shallot, while hui refers to a person, the notorious Song Dynasty (960-1279) chancellor Qin Hui, who is widely regarded as a traitor in China for his part in the political execution of General Yue Fei, best known for leading the defense of Southern Song against invaders from the Jurchen-ruled Jin Dynasty in northern China.
It is said in Hangzhou, the then capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), people hated Qin Hui so much that they made a paste shaped like him and fried it in a pan.
Later someone vented more hatred by crushing the paste again and again.
Eventually someone wrapped the fried paste as well as shallots in a thin pancake and crushed it on a heating pan until it was crispy and flat. Presto! A delicious new snack was born.
Soon it became a cheap and popular snack around the city. Even today locals eat it from time to time. It is easily found on many streets and lanes around the city. Street vendors use a coal cake oven to make it.Wushan puff
Wushan puff is a cone-shaped crispy pastry with icing sugar on top. It is slightly sweet and melts smoothly in the mouth.
It is now a common Hangzhou dessert although Wushan puff originated in Anhui Province more than 1,000 years ago. At the time Zhao Kuangyin, the first emperor of Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) was involved in a war and local people made this food to support Zhao's army. After Zhao became the emperor, he listed the snack as one of his favorite foods.
After the royal family retreated to southern China and settled in Hangzhou, the snack was popularized among Hangzhou folks.
Stores making and selling the puffs were initially mostly around Wu Hill, or Wushan in Chinese, and due to the puff being shaped like a hill, it is named Wushan puff.
The sweet snack was also highly praised by Su Dongpo, a celebrated literati and mayor of Hangzhou.
Today, people can still find Wushan puffs at a bunch of stalls on Hefang Street at the foot of Wu Hill.
Mao er duo(cat ear-shaped wheaten food in soup)
Mao er duo can be found in many areas of China, and is named because it is shaped like a cat's ear, which is similar to Italian macaroni. As the story goes, macaroni originated from mao er duo by Marco Polo.
However, under the same name there are different sorts of the flour-made food. The Hangzhou version is nail-sized dough served in soup with a salty and mild taste.
The flour dough is cooked with shelled shrimps, dried scallops and peas in a chicken soup base. A bit of umami flavoring is added to the dough, which on its own is tasteless.
The best place to have a bowl of mao er duo is Zhiweiguan Restaurant at 83 Renhe Road, the most popular snack restaurant in Hangzhou, where xiaolongbao (little steamed buns) is also strongly recommended.
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