Salty Tangyuan from Yanzhou

Salty Tangyuan from Yanzhou

　　Legend has it that in the Longshan Academy of Yanzhou Prefecture, a poor scholar married a beautiful and intelligent wife, and everyone praised him for his good fortune. On the day of the Lantern Festival, the scholar reluctantly agreed to his classmates’ request to have tangyuan at his home. Being poor, the scholar could not afford sugar, but his clever wife made unique savory tangyuan using winter-pickled vegetables and diced tofu as filling to serve the guests. Everyone who tried them found the tangyuan smooth and tender, richly savory and flavorful—comparable to Ningbo-style tangyuan. And so, the savory tangyuan of Yanzhou has been passed down to this day.