Xiguan Water Chestnut Cake

Xiguan Water Chestnut Cake

　　Water Chestnut Cake

　　Water chestnuts, also known as horse hooves (a phonetic translation), are one of the "Five Treasures of Pantang" (lotus root, water chestnuts, water caltrops, wild rice stems, and arrowhead) produced in Pantang, Xiguan — a famous specialty of Guangzhou. In the late Qing Dynasty, a young farm girl from Pantang named Afang mixed water chestnut flour with chopped water chestnuts and sugar syrup, then steamed the mixture in a pot over boiling water until it formed a cake-like consistency. The resulting cake was tea-yellow in color, semi-transparent, could be folded without cracking, pinched without breaking, and had a texture that was soft, smooth, refreshing, and chewy, with an extremely sweet flavor. Later on, water chestnut cake quickly became a renowned snack in Pantang, Xiguan.