Xiangxi Rice Cake

Xiangxi Rice Cake

　　The Tujia people have a saying: “On the 28th, we make rice cakes.” As the Spring Festival approaches, at the end of the lunar year, every household makes glutinous rice cakes. According to local chronicles: “The glutinous rice is pounded in a stone trough until it turns into paste, then pressed into round shapes resembling a full moon. The larger ones have a diameter of one chi and five cun, while the more common ones are about four cun across, with thicknesses varying from three to eight fen.” Once the small rice cakes are made, the most skilled and dexterous women, who are best at making them, prepare a few large ones — weighing anywhere from three to five jin, or even over ten jin. These are called “cage-breaking cakes,” symbolizing “a bumper harvest of all grains” and also reflecting the generosity of the Tujia people. Making glutinous rice cakes is a physically demanding task, usually carried out by young men. Two people stand opposite each other, first kneading and then pounding the dough — even in freezing weather, they work up a sweat. The process of making the cakes is also very particular: hands are coated with beeswax or tea oil, then the dough is first rolled into balls and later pressed by hand or with a wooden board to achieve a smooth and attractive appearance.