Gan Tang Sanzi

Gan Tang Sanzi

　　Gan Tang Sanzi is a specialty of Gan Tang Town, Kaijiang County, Dazhou City, Sichuan Province. Among the fried sanzi (crispy twisted dough strips) produced in Kaijiang, those from Gan Tang Town are the most renowned. The sanzi from Gan Tang feature fine, even strands, a crispy and fragrant texture, vibrant color, and an attractive shape.

　　Originally, sanzi was a traditional food used by the Hui people for entertaining guests, giving gifts, and celebrating festivals. As early as the Ming Dynasty, Hui people in Beijing began eating fried sanzi, and later, provinces with significant Hui populations such as Gansu, Ningxia, and Yunnan developed a longstanding tradition of eating sanzi. Today, with China’s well-developed transportation and communication networks, the finest cultural elements of all ethnic groups can quickly gain nationwide popularity. Isn’t it true that you can find Tianjin Goubuli buns or Chongqing hotpot almost anywhere? The widespread popularity of sanzi across the country is naturally due to its universal appeal. However, for a renowned local snack to take root elsewhere, adjustments must be made to suit varying regional tastes. The sanzi from Gan Tang, Kaijiang, rose to fame across Kaijiang and the lower reaches of eastern Sichuan precisely because its ingredients and seasonings align better with local palates.

　　The sanzi from Gan Tang features fine, even strands, a crispy and fragrant texture, vibrant color, and an attractive shape. Its preparation is quite meticulous—typically, an appropriate amount of alum, alkaline, and salt solutions are added to the flour, along with water boiled from ingredients such as brown sugar, honey, Sichuan peppercorn, and scallion skins. Eggs and sesame oil are also mixed into the dough, which is then repeatedly kneaded and pressed. The dough is shaped into thick ropes, left to rest in a basin for a while. When the oil is hot, the cook uses four fingers to wrap around seven small dough balls, gently stretches them, and loops them onto chopsticks before lowering them into the oil. Alternatively, the dough may be rolled into a uniform long rope, folded back and forth to form eight strands, with the two ends pinched together before frying. The sanzi, once taken out of the oil, looks golden and fresh, smells fragrant, and tastes crispy and sweet—truly a delicacy.

　　Sanzi from Gan Tang is loved by people of all ages for its deliciously crispy and sweet flavor—it’s the kind of taste that leaves you wanting more. No wonder some have described it as “crunching loud enough to startle people ten miles away.” Yet, many may not know the origins or legends behind sanzi.