Yimeng Pancakes

Yimeng Pancakes

　　Everyone who tries them loves them. After tasting them, I found myself thinking: "One pancake a day, and I’d gladly call Yimeng my home forever." As we all know, this is a revolutionary base area, and the currently popular TV series *The Six Sisters of Yimeng* is set right here.

　　 Pancakes are a traditional staple food in the rural areas of Yimeng and are also a long-renowned local specialty. In the old society, in rural villages...

　　 　　The main tools for making pancakes are three: first, the “aozi,” an iron, round griddle available in large, medium, and small sizes. The medium-sized aozi has a diameter of about 65 centimeters, is slightly convex in the center, and has three legs underneath. It is heated with firewood or coal, and the pancakes are cooked on top. The aozi is a specialized tool for making pancakes. The *Kangxi Dictionary* includes an entry for "ao," and Tang Dynasty’s *Stories from Court and Country* mentions "a monkey on a hot ao," showing just how long the history of pancakes really is. Second is the handheld tool used to spread the batter, locally called the “chizi.” It is a wooden, curved, paddle-shaped tool with a handle. After placing the batter on the hot aozi, you use the chizi to spread it left and right, creating a thin layer on the surface. Some people use a “pazi” or even a “bamboo split” for the same purpose, but the resulting pancakes each have their own unique characteristics. Third is the oil cloth, commonly called the “oil da,” which is a square cloth pad made of over ten layers of fabric, lightly coated with cooking oil. It is used to grease the aozi to prevent the pancakes from sticking and being difficult to remove.

　　 　　The pancake-making process is relatively complex. It uses grains such as wheat, sorghum, corn, millet, and sweet potatoes as raw materials. These are washed, soaked, and then ground into a paste-like substance with a stone mill, commonly referred to as “pancake batter” by locals. In some areas, before grinding the batter, one-third or even half of the grains are pre-cooked, known as “duibanzi.” Locals say that batter made this way is easier to cook and results in softer, tastier pancakes. Grinding the batter is a labor-intensive task—usually taking two to three hours to grind twenty to thirty pounds of grain because if ground too quickly, the batter becomes too coarse, and the resulting pancakes won’t taste good. During grinding, the person adding ingredients must be experienced, adding small amounts frequently to ensure the batter is fine and even. In the old days, in a typical household, anyone strong enough to lift the mill handle would take turns grinding the grains, often taking most of the night to finish just twenty to thirty pounds. Only wealthier families could afford to use animals to power the mill. Nowadays, there are batter grinders that can crush cleaned grains into flour, which is then mixed with water to form the batter. However, many still believe that stone-ground batter makes tastier pancakes.

　　 　　Once the batter is ready, it can be cooked on the heated aozi. Pancakes made with a chizi are called “chizi pancakes,” slightly thicker with visible chizi marks, and have a chewy texture. Those made with a pazi are called “pazi pancakes,” while those made with a bamboo split are called “min pancakes,” which are thinner—about a dozen can be made from one pound of batter. There’s also another method where the batter is made very thick and kneaded into balls with both hands, then rolled across the aozi to cover its surface. This method is often used with sweet potato starch batter. In cities, there are now machine-made pancakes made primarily from white flour, commonly referred to as flour pancakes, but most people agree they don’t taste as fragrant or crisp as traditional hand-made pancakes.

　　 　　Based on the ingredients used, they can also be categorized into wheat pancakes, corn pancakes, millet pancakes, sorghum pancakes, and sweet potato starch pancakes. Different tools and ingredients yield different flavors, each with its own unique taste and texture.

　　 　　Cooked pancakes are as thin as paper. Folded into rolls, they’re ready to eat. Once dried and stacked into rectangular shapes, they can be stored for up to one or two months without spoiling, making them convenient for travel—hence the name “dry rations.” There are many ways to eat pancakes. When cooking them, you can mix chopped leeks and eggs (sometimes with tofu) into a filling, sandwich it between two pancakes, and cook it on the aozi. This is called a “pancake pocket” or “pancake crepe,” deliciously crispy and tasty—it’s now considered a local delicacy. In earlier times, when villagers were almost out of batter and the remaining bit had been partially cooked from repeated spreading, making it impossible to make thin pancakes, they would cook a thicker one, sprinkle it with dried Sichuan peppercorn leaves and salt, flip it, and cook the other side. Locals called this “flipping the iron.” These “flipped iron” pancakes were crispy, chewy, and very tasty.

　　 　　Pancakes can also be eaten by wrapping various dishes inside after cooking. Locals call this “eating with sides” or “what to go with.” There are many fillings you can wrap in pancakes, including meat, eggs, vegetables, and various pickled items. In the old days, for poor people, eating a pancake wrapped with meat was a treat. As the saying goes, “A pancake wrapped with pork is so delicious, you can’t get enough.” Scrambled eggs with chili (or Chinese toon) were also considered high-end “sides,” and there was a saying: “A pancake with an egg will make you sweat from how good it is.” Schoolchildren had a fun saying too: “No pancake with an egg, and I won’t study.” The most distinctive everyday side is “zha doufu” (fermented tofu) and scallions. Zha doufu is also a local snack in the Yimeng Mountains. It’s made by washing and chopping cabbage leaves, radish greens, wild greens, sweet potato vines, etc., adding some bean flour and salt, then boiling and simmering them into a simple dish. In the eastern rural areas of Feixian County, it’s also called “doumo.” A pancake wrapped with zha doufu and sprinkled with chili powder is the best meal for poor farmers trying to fill their stomachs. In the past, during busy farming seasons when there was no time to cook, wrapping pancakes with scallions and sweet bean paste was the most flavorful option. Other popular combinations include scallions with dried shrimp, chili with tofu, or pickled Chinese toon with garlic shoots—as long as the side dish has some spice and saltiness, it works. As the saying goes: “To truly satisfy your cravings, go for bold flavors—spicy and salty.”

　　 　　Because pancakes are made from whole grains without removing the bran, they are rich in nutrients, deliciously crispy and soft, and easy to store and carry. They are a highly distinctive local food. Recently, some have suggested that eating pancakes requires more chewing, which can stimulate saliva production, aid digestion, boost appetite, promote movement in facial nerves, support the health of visual, auditory, and olfactory nerves, slow aging, and thus can be considered a health food.