Majia Kou Fried Dough Sticks

Majia Kou Fried Dough Sticks

　　Fried dough sticks can be found everywhere, but those from Majia Kou have a unique flavor — about as thick as a middle finger, perfectly round, with a hollow center running through both ends. When eaten, they are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, with a long-lasting aftertaste of fennel. The Chengguan Cylinder Oven Sesame Cakes and Neixiang Cylinder Oven Sesame Cakes are widely renowned for being crispy, fragrant, sweet, and savory. Their preparation involves mixing the dough with small-mill sesame oil, salt, scallions, and other ingredients to form dough blocks, which are then kneaded and rested multiple times before being rolled into round cakes with a thin center and slightly thicker edges. A layer of malt sugar syrup is brushed on top, and once they turn golden and crisp, they are ready. These have become a distinctive local specialty unique to Neixiang County.