Zhengyi Qingtuan

Zhengyi Qingtuan

　　Qingtuan are made from glutinous rice flour mixed with vegetable juice, filled with white sugar, red bean paste, and lard. They carry the colors and flavors of spring in both appearance and taste. Suzhou has had a variety of seasonal cakes and pastries all year round throughout history, and that tradition continues to this day.　　

　　In January, there are Yuanxiao; in February, on the second, there’s Yaoyao Cake; in March, Qingtuan; on the fourteenth of April, Shenxian Cake; in May, Fried Meat Filling Dumplings; on the twenty-fourth of June, Xiezao Dumplings; in July, Cowpea Cake; in August, Citi Dumplings; on the ninth of September for Chongyang Festival, there’s Chongyang Cake; in October, Radish Dumplings; in November, Dongzhi Dumplings; and in December, Osmanthus Lard Sugar New Year Cake.　　

　　This rhyme was something I heard from my grandmother back in the day. Having eaten all these treats one by one in my childhood, I’ve remembered it ever since. Suzhou’s lush waters and fertile land have nurtured a distinctive rice culture rich in Jiangnan character, while the soft and mellow Wu dialect has given rise to Suzhou’s sweet, soft, and sticky pastries.