Yuci Fried Oil Cake

Yuci Fried Oil Cake

　　Fried oil cake is a snack made with glutinous millet flour (a type of soft millet dough) as the wrapper, and sweet fillings such as sugar, date paste, or red bean paste, then deep-fried until golden. It has a shiny yellow color, crispy on the outside yet tender inside, soft and sweet with a delicious taste.

　　　　In the Jinzhong area, there are many varieties of oil cakes, which differ in preparation methods — including flaky layered cake, date cake (also called sliced cake), and raw fried cake; they also vary based on ingredients, such as glutinous rice cake and vegetable cake. Because the word “cake” (糕) sounds like “high” (高) in Chinese, it symbolizes rising fortune, celebration, and prosperity. As such, people often eat these cakes during festivals, weddings and funerals, baby’s full moon celebrations, birthdays, elder’s birthday banquets, and house-building ceremonies. Hence, they are also known as New Year cake or celebration cake. Over the years, fried oil cake has accompanied people in bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, as well as in celebrating happy occasions, becoming a beloved traditional food. Before liberation, the most famous oil cakes came from “Zhongxingde” in Yamen Street, downtown Yuci, as well as long-established shops in Qi County and Taigu.