Gaoyan County's Duckling Pastry

Gaoyan County's Duckling Pastry

　　Gaoyan County's Duckling Pastry is a famous specialty snack from Gaoyan County, Yibin City, Sichuan Province. This dish features a snow-white, glossy appearance, thin and tender skin. With just one bite, you're greeted with an intense aroma that's rich yet not greasy, fragrant and refreshing. It boasts the "three non-stick" qualities: it doesn’t stick to leaves, chopsticks, or teeth.

　　The Duckling Pastry from Gaoyan County, Yibin is one of the well-known local snacks in southern Sichuan, named for its delicate flavor reminiscent of young duck meat. Legend has it that this pastry was created in 1900 by Aunt Hou Longyu. She used glutinous rice as the main ingredient, soaking it several times before grinding it into flour to make the outer skin. The fillings come in two types: savory and sweet. For the savory version, lean and fatty pork of appropriate proportion is finely chopped, then stir-fried with Yibin sprouts, salt, Sichuan peppercorns, MSG, and chopped scallions. The sweet filling uses budding roses and hibiscus petals, mixed with rock sugar and white sugar to create a candied mixture, then blended with sesame seeds, walnuts, and fresh lard to form the stuffing. After wrapping the filling in the dough, it is shaped into an oval by hand and wrapped in galangal leaves, resembling chubby little ducks playing on emerald water—this is how the name “Duckling Pastry” came about. cZy

　　Once made, the Duckling Pastry is steamed in a bamboo steamer over high heat in one go. Freshly steamed, it showcases a snow-white, glossy appearance, with thin and tender skin. One bite releases an intense aroma that's rich but not greasy, fragrant and refreshing, and it has the “three non-stick” traits: no sticking to leaves, chopsticks, or teeth. Anyone who visits Gaoyan County must taste the delicious “Gaoyan County Duckling Pastry” to indulge their palate. cZy

　　Among Gaoyan County’s Duckling Pastries, He’s Duckling Pastry stands out as the best. It is a fine example of southern Sichuan street food, made with carefully selected and refined ingredients, and crafted with meticulous attention. It has been awarded the title of the first “Sichuan Characteristic Tourism Commodity” and is also recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of Yibin City. cZy