Cicheng Rice Cake

Cicheng Rice Cake

Cicheng rice cake is a product protected under geographical indication.

　　Cicheng rice cake has a long production history, dating back over a thousand years. Legend has it that Wu Zixu fought in Cicheng. Before his death, he told his subordinates: “If the country is in trouble and the people run out of food, go three feet beneath the city wall to find provisions.” After Wu Zixu’s death, his troops were besieged by the Yue army, and many had starved to death due to food shortages in the city. At that time, someone remembered Wu Zixu’s words, went to dig beneath the city wall, and after digging more than three feet deep, they indeed found many edible “city bricks”—which turned out to be rice cakes. As a result, they won the battle. It turned out that when Wu Zixu was supervising the construction of the city wall in Cicheng, he had already made preparations to store grain for times of famine. Since then, every Lunar New Year, every household in Cicheng makes rice cakes, and they eat rice cake soup for the New Year's Eve dinner to commemorate Wu Zixu.

　　Cicheng rice cake is known for its premium ingredients and exquisite craftsmanship. The cakes are as white as jade, smooth and delicate, uniformly sized, and do not turn mushy when cooked. They are made from high-quality late-season japonica rice which is washed, soaked for three to four days or up to a week, ground into powder using a water mill, and then drained of moisture until just the right level of dampness. The paste is then crushed and steamed thoroughly in a bamboo steamer over high heat, before being pounded or rolled into evenly sized, strip-shaped rice cakes.

　　Rice cake can be cooked in various ways: boiled, stir-fried, deep-fried, pan-fried, or added to soup, and it works well in both sweet and savory dishes. For example: sugar-stirred rice cake. A folk saying goes: “Stir-fried with sugar, sizzled in oil—your lips will blister from the delight.” Another example is shepherd’s purse rice cake. A proverb says: “Shepherd’s purse and shredded pork stir-fried with rice cake—so good even the Kitchen God reaches out to grab some.” Then there is juice-flavored rice cake soup, incredibly delicious, and a must-have dish on New Year’s Eve in every household. There are dozens of cooking methods in total. In the past, due to poor storage conditions, many residents would slice the cakes, sun-dry them, and store them. When ready to eat, they would soak the slices in water for two days. Some even soaked them in bulk, which could keep them fresh for several months.

　　In the Ningbo area, there is a folk saying: “Year after year, rice cake brings you higher, each year better than the last.” People also use rice cake molds to press shapes such as “Five Blessings,” “Six Treasures,” “Money,” “Good Fortune,” symbolizing “good luck” and “great prosperity.” Others are shaped into small animals like “jade rabbits” or “white geese,” representing a true harmony of form and content. Well-known brands include Ta Pai, Ruyi, Yi Mao, and Feng Hengda. These products are exported to regions and countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada, and Australia, and are highly favored by the overseas Ningbo community.