Changwu Guokui

Last updated 2026-11-08 — Changwu Guokui originated as a gift from grandmothers to their grandchildren to celebrate their first full moon, and later developed into a flavorful, convenient food. The guokui is round in shape, about one foot in diameter, one inch thick, and weighs five jin. It is made from refined wheat flour, kneaded with straw-pressed dough, and slowly baked in a shallow pan. Its exterior is mottled yellow, the cut surface is sand-white, and it has a crisp, tender texture that is easy to store and carry. (Xianyang) “One of the Ten Oddities of Shaanxi: Guokui as big as a wok lid.” The Changwu Guokui is just that. It has a diameter of about one foot five inches and is about eight-tenths of an inch thick. The outer crust is slightly yellow with a hint of red—dry but not hard, crispy but not soft; the inside is snow-white, soft yet not mushy, fluffy yet not limp. When cut, it immediately gives off a rich aroma, and as you eat it, it becomes more fragrant and delicious the more you chew. Soaked in lamb soup or tofu pudding, it remains firm and flavorful even after prolonged cooking, becoming even more chewy and tasty. It keeps well—in the cold of winter, its flavor remains unchanged for ten days or half a month; even in the heat of summer, it won’t spoil within two or three days. It is one of the traditional staple foods of the people of Changwu and also a beloved regional delicacy in Northwest China. When locals go out on errands or visit relatives and friends, they often bring some Changwu Guokui as provisions or as a local specialty gift. Outsiders visiting Changwu not only enjoy eating the guokui while there, but also often take three to five jin back home to continue enjoying or to share with family and friends. The exceptional quality of Changwu Guokui comes down to two factors: premium ingredients and meticulous preparation. Authentic Changwu Guokui is made with snow-white, powdery No. 80 wheat flour and the clear, sweet water from Beishuigou Spring. During baking, five kilograms of fine wheat flour are mixed with two kilograms of starter dough, 15 grams of alkaline water, and one kilogram of warm water, then kneaded into a stiff dough. Next, a pressing rod over one meter long and about the width of a teacup is used to repeatedly press and knead the dough until it reaches the right consistency. The dough is then shaped and placed in a shallow pan, where it is slowly baked over straw fire. After being flipped three times and rotated six times over forty minutes, both sides develop a golden-brown color, and the aroma of cooked dough fills the air. It is then removed from the pan, cooled on clean straw, and is ready to serve.