Gutian Guangbing

Gutian Guangbing

　　Commonly known as guangbing, it is round in shape, about the size of a small bowl, with a tiny hole in the center that allows it to be strung on a thread and hung up—hence it is also called "hanging bread." Legend has it that during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates frequently raided the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang. General Qi Jiguang led his troops to the coast to suppress the pirates. Since the pirates came from the sea, Qi’s army set up ambushes along the shore. The local people made large quantities of hanging bread to hang around the soldiers’ necks to keep them fed, enabling Qi’s army to successfully quell the pirate threat. Emperor Jiajing honored the bread by naming it “Jiguang Bing” (Ji Guang’s Bread).

　　 Jiguang Bing is primarily made of wheat flour, which is fermented and then mixed with refined salt, sesame seeds, scallion strips, and other ingredients. The dough is kneaded into rounds and baked over a fire, resulting in a crispy, savory flavor that is very tasty. With improvements in living standards, the varieties and flavors of guangbing have become more diverse. Nowadays, in Gutian streets, you can also find scallion-meat guangbing, peanut guangbing, and Jian’ou crispy guangbing, all of which are very popular among locals.