Mengzi Rice Cake

Mengzi Rice Cake

　　Mengzi is a small county town on the Honghe River in southeastern Yunnan, where there is a tradition of growing glutinous rice (also called sticky rice or "jiangmi"), and thus an established custom of making rice cakes year-round. In other regions, common rice cakes come in three flavors—white, sweet, and savory—but Mengzi rice cakes only come in one sweet variety, made with either brown sugar or rose-flavored sugar.　

　　Early Mengzi rice cakes were shaped in containers similar to large bowls, forming an upside-down truncated cone shape that was small on top and wide at the bottom. The surface was extremely fine, smooth, and glossy (the inner walls of the molds were oiled to make demolding easier). Thanks to the addition of brown sugar, they had a beautiful bright yellow color. Mengzi rice cakes were also made using traditional methods—glutinous rice was first ground with water, then the starch milk was hung to drain, filtered, and finally mixed with brown sugar or rose-flavored sugar. Perhaps to prevent the cakes from cracking, a layer of tofu skin was once wrapped around the outside of finished cakes. However, as more advanced preservation methods emerged, this step was eventually dropped.

　　Rice cakes can be found across China, both in the north and south. In the south, they are typically steamed from glutinous rice flour and take the form of flat strips or blocks, which can be sliced or cut into pieces for cooking as a staple or snack, either sweet or savory. Eating rice cakes during the New Year symbolizes the wish for a long life, as the phrase "nian gao" (年糕, rice cake) sounds like "year high" (年高), implying advancement and longevity.

　　The consumption of rice cakes in China has a long history. Legend has it that Wu Zixu used glutinous rice to build a city wall. During the Spring and Autumn period, the King of Wu ordered Wu Zixu to construct the “Helü City” to defend against foreign invasions. After the city’s completion, the whole nation rejoiced, except for Wu Zixu, who remained gloomy. One day, he told his trusted aides, “When I am gone, if Wu faces disaster and the people suffer from hunger, you can dig several feet below the city gate to find sustenance.” Later, Wu was indeed falsely accused and put to death. The Kingdom of Yue took advantage of the situation to defeat Wu, and famine spread across the land. In this time of crisis, people remembered Wu Zixu’s words. They tore down parts of the city and dug into the ground, discovering that the city bricks were made of glutinous rice. Overjoyed, they used them to relieve their hunger. Since then, people have steamed rice cakes each New Year to commemorate him.

　　Mengzi rice cake is a specialty of Mengzi County, well known for its soft, glutinous texture, sweet taste, tender chewiness, and unique flavor. (Honghe)