Zhuang Ethnic Mugwort Rice Cakes

Zhuang Ethnic Mugwort Rice Cakes

　　Mugwort rice cakes are a local snack from Daxin County in Chongzuo, Guangxi. The second day of the second lunar month is celebrated as the "Mugwort Rice Cake Festival" in the mountain villages of the Zhuang ethnic group in Daxin County. The spring rains of the first lunar month fill the air with the fragrant aroma of mugwort growing around villagers’ homes, at the foot of mountains, along roadsides, and in the corners of fields. In their spare time, villagers go to pick the mugwort, then wash it and place it in a large pot of boiling water. After boiling, the mugwort is mixed with ground glutinous rice flour and yellow sugar slices, then pounded together in a stone mortar until smooth and well blended. The mixture is shaped into individual rice cake wraps, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed to perfection—this is the famous local delicacy known as "mugwort rice cake."