Laiwu Sesame Seed Cake

Laiwu Sesame Seed Cake

　　There’s nothing particularly special about the ingredients—just salted flour dough and oil. The main thing that sets it apart is the roasting equipment, which resembles a hollow drawer-like stove. During the baking process, the cakes need to be constantly flipped. The ones fresh out of the oven are the best—crispy with a hint of saltiness.

Anyone who has lived in Jinan for a year or two knows about Laiwu Sesame Seed Cake (except perhaps white-collar workers and the more affluent crowd). Almost all small lamb soup restaurants serve Laiwu Sesame Seed Cakes, which are baked in hanging ovens—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

In Dazhuang Village, Niquan Town, Laicheng District, one-third of the residents make a living by baking these cakes. This not only has made “Laiwu Sesame Seed Cake” famous across the country, but also enabled the entire village to earn over 10 million yuan a year from cake baking alone, increasing the per capita income by 300 yuan.

Dazhuang Village has a population of 3,376 people but only 2,570 mu of arable land, making it a place where people outnumber available farmland. Over a decade ago, villagers began gradually venturing out to bake these cakes. What started with just over ten households has now grown to more than 300.