Why is the rice cake called rice cake?

There is an old legend about the origin of Spring Festival rice cakes. In ancient times, there was a monster called Nian, who lived in the deep mountains and forests all the year round. When hungry, it catches other animals to satisfy its hunger. But in the severe winter, most animals hide and sleep. When you are hungry, you go down the mountain to hurt the people, rob people for food, and make the people miserable. Later, there was a clever tribe called "Gaozu". Every winter, when the monster was expected to go down the mountain for food, he cooked a lot of food with food in advance, twisted it into strips and put it outside the door, while people hid at home. When "Nian" came, people couldn't find anyone to eat. When they were hungry, they filled their stomachs with food strips made by people and went back to the mountains after eating. When people saw the monster go, they all went out to congratulate each other, glad that they had escaped the "Year Pass" and were safe and ready to plough again in spring. In this way, year after year, this method of avoiding animal harm has been handed down. Because the grain bars are made of high, in order to feed the year, the year and the height are linked together, which is called the rice cake (homophonic).

It is said that the rice cakes are from Suzhou. There is a legend about its origin: According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Wu Zixu helped He Lv seize the throne of the State of Wu, and made it prosperous all the year round. But later, He Lv was full of ambition and ordered Wu Zixu to build "He Lv City" to show his merits. After the completion of the city wall, He Lv, the king of Wu, died, and Fu Cha succeeded to the throne, listening to rumors. Wu Zixu urged the King of Wu to refuse the peace of Gou Jian, the King of Yue, but he was rejected and was sentenced to death. After Wu Zixu committed suicide, Gou Jian, the King of Yue, sent troops to attack the State of Wu, and surrounded Gusu City, the capital of the State of Wu. The food in the city was about to run out. People remembered what Wu Zixu said before, and dug up the wall brick. As a result, these wall bricks are made of glutinous rice flour, saving the city people. So under the auspices of the Wu Zixu family, it was distributed to the hungry people in the city, and everyone spent the famine temporarily. Suzhou people admire Wu Zixu's patriotism and love for the people. Since then, every winter, they will prepare rice cakes to show their memory of Wu Zixu and share them with friends and family during the Spring Festival. Therefore, the shape of Suzhou rice cake is similar to that of city bricks, which is not greasy after cooking, does not crack after drying, and does not go bad for a long time.