Gōzha

Gōzha

　　“Gōzha (also spelled Lèzhā / Làozhī),” pronounced as 『Gēzha』, is one of the famous local foods of Tangshan. It is an essential dish for festivals, weddings, funerals, celebrations, and entertaining guests. Locally, there’s even a saying: “If you haven’t tried a Gōzha banquet, you haven’t truly been to Tangshan.”

　　Gōzha is now quite widespread in the Tangshan region, found in areas such as Luan County, Luannan, Leting, and Zunhua. The most authentic and commonly made version comes from Luannan County. However, most Gōzha sold in the market today rarely uses mung beans due to lower production costs, which results in a less desirable taste compared to the pure mung bean version. If you want the mung bean variety, you’ll need to place a special order, and it tends to be more expensive.