Shanxi Cuisine

Shanxi Cuisine

　　Shanxi Cuisine

　　Sticky rice balls and soft rice cakes are traditional foods made in the Changzhi area of Shanxi Province during the Spring Festival. Among them, the sticky rice balls from Xiangyuan County and the soft rice cakes from Qin County are the most famous. They are made from high-quality flour of a local type of soft rice, mixed with cornmeal, red beans, and red dates. The sticky rice balls are filled with a mixture of red beans and red dates; the soft rice cakes consist of layers of rice cake dough and mashed red dates, steamed until cooked. The combination of softness, fragrance, and sweetness creates a richly delicious flavor. In rural households, it is common to steam hundreds of sticky rice balls during the Spring Festival as a staple food throughout the first lunar month.