Zhang Family’s Three Cakes

Zhang Family’s Three Cakes

　　Visitors traveling to the Greater and Lesser Gorges, upon arriving in Wushan County, will hear vendors calling out, “Bowl cakes, steamed basket cakes, and glutinous rice New Year cakes.” These “three cakes” were originally famous snacks from the ancient city of Wushan. Because they were made using the exclusive craftsmanship of the Zhang family, they came to be known as “Zhang Family’s Three Cakes.”

　　The history of Zhang Family’s Three Cakes goes back many years. It is said that during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, the Zhang family migrated from Hubei to Wushan in Sichuan. They were poor and made a living by selling pastries. At that time, on the 24th day of the 12th lunar month, people on both sides of the Wu Gorge along the Yangtze River had the custom of celebrating Little New Year. The locals regarded this day as the time when the Kitchen God ascended to heaven to report the good and bad deeds of each household to the Jade Emperor over the past year. On the night before, every family would offer grains, salted tea, and maltose to the Kitchen God, hoping to sweeten his words. The Zhang family, devout in their worship, would paste an image of a goddess on the kitchen stove that night, light incense and candles, and offer the best pastries they had made in front of the image. They silently sent off the Kitchen God to heaven to celebrate Little New Year, and used maltose to seal the Kitchen God’s mouth. Their sincerity moved the Kitchen God, who later spoke highly of them in heaven. The Jade Emperor was very pleased upon hearing this. Considering that although the Zhang family was poor, they were kind-hearted, he instructed the Queen Mother of the West to take out a tray of various types of longevity cakes and have the Kitchen God bring them back to give to the Zhang family to sell.

　　Late on New Year’s Eve, following tradition, the Zhang family burned incense and set off firecrackers to welcome the Kitchen God back home. Then the whole family gathered around the stove to stay up for the night. As he drank wine and thought about the meager New Year celebrations and the challenges of the coming year, he gradually became drowsy and fell into a deep sleep. Suddenly, he saw the Kitchen God float into the house from the sky, carrying a basket of yellowish-red longevity cakes.

　　“Zhang Family’s Three Cakes” have been passed down through generations and now have a history of over 600 years. Over time, they have also gained fame across China. Especially during the Anti-Japanese War, patriotic individuals from all over the country gathered in Wushan, and Zhang Family’s Three Cakes became their favorite breakfast. At that time, the single-family operation couldn’t meet the demand, so it was divided into three, with each branch specializing in one type of cake, making each even more distinctive.