Xiaogan Pancakes

Xiaogan Pancakes

　　The pancakes commonly referred to by locals in Xiaogan are oval, diamond-shaped, or round oven-baked breads made from flour mixed with water and various ingredients. Among them, the most famous is the Hu Bing, which locals call sesame pancakes; the crisp pancake is known as lard pancake. In many parts of China, oven-baked breads are also called shaobing.

　　Oven-baked breads are among the oldest types of flour-based food in China. Early flour-based foods were generally referred to as "bing" (饼), a character first seen in Mozi’s “Gengzhu Pian.” The habit of eating flour-based foods likely began around the Warring States period. During the Warring States period, there were no mills, and tools like mortars and pestles could not produce large quantities of flour. By the Han and Wei periods, there were many types of flour-based foods, including oven-baked breads such as Hu Bing, soup pancakes (similar to modern-day noodle soup), cage pancakes (unleavened steamed breads resembling later fermented mantou), and ring pancakes (fried dough rings). During the Northern Song Dynasty, oven-baked breads were very common. The Mengliang Lu records that in the Northern Song capital of Bianliang (Kaifeng), there were not only numerous shaobing shops but also street vendors selling food: “At noon, they sold sweet porridge, shaobing, and grilled toasted buns.”

　　From the Ming and Qing dynasties to the present, pancakes have remained one of the main breakfast items in downtown Xiaogan. From the 1930s until the early days of the founding of the People’s Republic, there were many pancake shops on Beizheng Street, Ruxuechang, and Xiwai Street, with many on Xiwai Street also selling Xiaogan specialties like soup noodles and youtiao (fried dough sticks). In both urban and rural areas, the cries of street vendors selling “pancakes with oil sticks” could still be heard. Notably, a pancake shop not far from the intersection of Xihé Street and Xiong Wénduān Street (also known as the Bamboo Goods Street, now Xinhua Street) was famous for its unique oval and diamond-shaped sesame pancakes and sugar pancakes. The method for making sesame pancakes is as follows: knead refined flour until smooth and not sticky to the touch, shape it into strips, cut and flatten them, then spread chopped scallions, sesame oil, salt and pepper, fold them back together, roll them into an oval shape, brush the surface with maltose syrup, sprinkle with sesame seeds, then lift the dough with your hand, wet the other side with water, and quickly press the wet side onto the inside of the oven to bake. The oven is cylindrical, with firewood charcoal burning at the bottom (coal was not yet widely used at the time). Once baked, the pancakes have a golden color and are best eaten hot—soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, with a well-balanced salty-sweet flavor and a deliciously crisp aroma. When paired with youtiao, the soft and fragrant taste of the youtiao blends perfectly, creating an indescribably wonderful flavor. The diamond-shaped sesame pancakes are made the same way, differing only in shape. Sugar pancakes differ in that they use cane sugar as filling, brush the surface with maltose syrup, and are characterized by their glossy yellow-brown color, crispy texture, and sweet taste without being cloying. Several shops on Xiwai Street are especially known for their lard pancakes. These are made flaky using lard, with minced raw lard as filling, along with chopped scallions, salt and pepper, sprinkled with sesame seeds, then baked in the oven just like other types of shaobing. They are notable for being fluffy, airy, fragrant, and crisp.

　　From the early days of the founding of the People’s Republic until the 1970s, the beef congee noodle soup and flat, round sesame pancakes served at the Hui Muslim eatery on Beizheng Street were highly praised throughout the city. The main method of preparation involves flattening the dough into an oblong shape, brushing it with a layer of sesame oil, then kneading it into a long strip, cutting it, pressing it into circles, brushing with sesame oil, adding chopped scallions and salt and pepper, folding the dough back together, rolling it into a flat circle, sprinkling with sesame seeds, and baking it in the oven. The result is a light yellow color, a crisp texture, and when eaten hot, the lingering fragrance leaves a memorable aftertaste.

　　In the early years of the Republic of China, a learned scholar from Xiaogan once wrote the following couplet for a pancake shop: “Though but a denizen of the bustling market’s trade; remember the man who dined on pancakes by his bridal bed.” Though the story of Su Dongpo taking a concubine in Ezhou is often dismissed as folklore, comparing Xiaogan’s famed shaobing to the celebrated “Dongpo Pancakes” of Ezhou—which helped spread the fame of Xiaogan pancakes far and wide—is perhaps going too far? Nowadays, there are many pancake stalls in Xiaogan, but the original versions of the classic sesame pancakes and lard pancakes from the past are rarely seen.