Wang Family Walnut Cake

Wang Family Walnut Cake

　　Wang Family Walnut Cake is a famous local snack from Ningqiang County. As small as a porcelain lid, it has an orange-yellow hue, rich flavor, and is fragrant and crispy. Its most remarkable quality is that it remains fresh in both color and taste even after being stored for many days. Over the years, several interesting anecdotes about the Wang Family Walnut Cake have emerged. In 1900, during the 26th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty, the Eight-Nation Alliance captured Tianjin and Beijing, prompting Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu to flee to Xi’an. Upon hearing the news, local officials hurried to Xi’an to pay their respects and presented this cake as a tribute to the imperial court. Once this story spread, the cake’s reputation among the public soared instantly. The Wang family’s bakery has a long history. Initially, the head baker was named Wang Peilu, born in 1866 during the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty. At around 11 or 12 years old, he began learning the craft from his father, Wang Wenxuan. Wenxuan’s teacher was also surnamed Wang, a person from the Qing Qianlong–Jiaqing period who ran a shop called “Fuxing Old Brand,” specializing in various kinds of baked goods and also selling Manchu and Han-style pastries. The shop enjoyed considerable fame in the local food industry at the time. Wenxuan became an apprentice at “Fuxing Old Brand” during the Jiaqing reign. Since his master had no children and admired his diligence and talent, believing he would one day carry on the business, he passed down the shop’s signboard to Wenxuan before his death. Dating back to the Qianlong era, the “Fuxing Old Brand” had a history of over two hundred years by the time of the liberation in 1949.

　　Ningqiang’s famous local snack, “Wang Family Walnut Cake,” is as small as a porcelain lid, with an orange-yellow color, rich taste, and a pleasantly crisp and fragrant mouthfeel. Its most exceptional quality is that even after being stored for many days or even over ten days, its color and flavor remain unchanged. Over the long years, various interesting stories and anecdotes about the Wang Family Walnut Cake have been passed down. In 1900, the 26th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty, the Eight-Nation Alliance captured Tianjin and Beijing, causing Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu to flee to Xi’an. Upon hearing the news, local officials hurried to Xi’an to pay their respects and presented this cake as a tribute to the imperial court. Once this story spread, the cake's status among the public skyrocketed. The Wang family’s bakery has a long history. Initially, the head baker was Wang Peilu, who was born in 1866 during the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty. At the age of 11 or 12, he began learning the craft from his father, Wang Wenxuan. Wenxuan’s own teacher was also surnamed Wang, a person from the Qing Qianlong–Jiaqing period who ran a shop called “Fuxing Old Brand.” This shop specialized in making all kinds of baked goods and also sold Manchu and Han pastries. It was quite well-known in the local food industry. Wenxuan apprenticed at “Fuxing Old Brand” during the Jiaqing reign. Because his master had no children and held him in high regard for his diligence and talent, predicting that he would eventually take over the business, the master passed the shop’s signboard to Wenxuan before he died, allowing him to continue using it. Since its establishment in the Qianlong era, “Fuxing Old Brand” had a history of over 200 years, lasting until the liberation in 1949.

　　The father-and-son duo of Wenxuan and Peilu carried on the tradition, creating a variety of baked goods and Manchu–Han pastries with unique flavors. That tradition continues to this day, but among them, the “walnut cake” stands out as the crown jewel of excellence.