Tong’an Honeycomb Cake

Tong’an Honeycomb Cake

　　Honeycomb Cake, elegantly called “Fragrant Cake,” is a renowned delicacy in Xiamen and Quanzhou, with Tong’an’s version being the most famous. It is a traditional specialty pastry of Jiangyin. In the late Qing Dynasty, it was modeled after the similarly named cake from Zhenjiang and improved upon. The product uses premium flour and red beans as the main ingredients, with nuts as supplementary, and is made through glutinous rice fermentation. It gets its name from its appearance—thick around the edges, thin in the middle, and resembling a horse’s hoof. Its characteristics include a perfect balance of crispness, fluffiness, and softness, along with excellent color, aroma, and taste.

　　Honeycomb Cake was originally a court delicacy from the Tang Dynasty. Legend has it that Empress Changsun, the principal wife of Emperor Li Shimin, brought Honeycomb Cake as a personal gift when she returned to her hometown in Shaanxi Province. After tasting it, the locals were full of praise, and with the empress’s permission, a skilled person from her family learned the craft of making this delicacy from the imperial chefs who accompanied her, later passing it on to the public. When the Tang Dynasty expanded into Fujian, this court delicacy spread to southern Fujian along with those who moved south.