Zhougang Snow Jujube

Zhougang Snow Jujube

　　Zhougang Snow Jujube

　　Zhougang Snow Jujube is a traditional delicacy in our county, particularly famous for those produced in Zhougang. The main ingredients are glutinous rice and flour, with sugar, soybeans, and vegetable oil as supplementary ingredients. The glutinous rice is soaked for two weeks, then ground into rice flour. It is mixed with boiling water and kneaded into strips, which are then boiled in a pot of boiling water. Two pounds of soybean flour are added to a machine for mixing, then taken out, cut into strips, and sprinkled with flour, spread out to dry in the sun to make the Snow Jujube base. The base is then fried in oil until golden yellow and taken out. Sugar is cooked in a pot to form a syrup, and steamed flour is prepared separately. The fried base is dipped into the syrup and then coated with the flour to complete the product. It features a crisp texture that melts in the mouth and benefits the spleen and stomach. Legend has it that this treat was created by Dong Xiaowan, the concubine of Mao Pijiang. Wu Jingzi’s maternal great-uncle Guo Dui was friendly with Mao and once visited the Mao residence in Rugao where he greatly admired this dessert. Later, when Wu Jingzi’s grandmother Sheng Laogongnian turned seventy, Mao brought Dong to Quanjiao to celebrate her birthday. Dong then passed on the technique at the Wu family’s residence to please Sheng. Zhougang was the site of the Wu family’s ancestral hall, hence this exceptional Snow Jujube skill was passed on to Zhougang.