The origin and development of rice cake?

The Chinese pinyin of rice cake: nián-gāo

The English word of rice cake: rise cake; new year cake

[rice cake] uses sticky rice or rice flour The steamed cake is a seasonal food during the Lunar New Year.

During the Spring Festival, many regions in my country are particular about eating rice cakes. New Year cakes are available in yellow and white colors, symbolizing gold and silver. New Year cakes are also called "Nian Nian cake", which is homophonic with "Nian Nian Gao", which means that people's work and life are improving year by year. That’s why people in the past wrote poems about rice cakes: “The meaning of rice cakes is a little cloudy, white like silver and yellow gold. I look forward to good times and good fortunes as the years go by, and I sincerely and silently wish for wealth to come.”

[Edit this paragraph] History of rice cakes

[Edit this paragraph] History of rice cakes

As a food, rice cake has a long history in China. In 1974, archaeologists discovered plump and well-preserved rice seeds at the Hemudu site in Yuyao, Zhejiang, which dates back more than 7,000 years. Rice cultivation has begun. People in the Han Dynasty called rice cakes "rice cake", "bait", "獍" and so on. The title "cake" already existed in Yang Xiong's "Dialect" in the Han Dynasty, and it became popular in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. The ancients also had a development process in the production of rice cakes from rice cakes to powder cakes. The cookbook "Shici" from the sixth century AD contains the method of making rice cake "white cocoon sugar", "Cook the cooked rice and heat it in a pestle and mortar, then pound it into rice cakes. It must be very cooked. Do not let it cook." There are rice grains..." After the glutinous rice is steamed, it is pounded into rice while it is hot, then cut into peach pit sizes, dried and fried, rolled in sugar and ready to eat. As early as the Liao Dynasty, it is said that every family in Beijing had the custom of eating rice cakes on the first day of the first lunar month. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, rice cake had developed into a snack available all year round on the market, with different flavors from the north to the south. The rice cake is delicious, sweet and mellow, with a strong historical flavor.

[Edit this paragraph] The origin of rice cakes

There is a very ancient legend about the origin of rice cakes during the Spring Festival. In ancient times, there was a monster called "Nian". It lived in the deep mountains and old forests all year round. When it was hungry, it would capture other beasts to satisfy its hunger. But in the severe winter season, most of the animals have gone into hiding to rest. When "Nian" was so hungry that he would go down the mountain to hurt the people and rob people to use as food, making the people unbearable. Later, there was a smart tribe called the "Gao Clan". Every winter, when the monsters were expected to come down the mountain for food, they made a lot of food with grains in advance, rolled them into strips, pressed them into pieces and placed them outside the door. People hid Home. When the "New Year" came, there was no one to eat, so they were hungry, so they filled their stomachs with grain bars made by people. After they were full, they went back to the mountains. Seeing that the monster was gone, people all went out of their homes to congratulate each other, thankful that they had escaped the "New Year" hurdle, were safe, and could prepare for spring plowing again. Year after year, this method of avoiding animal harm was passed down. Because the grain strips were made by the Gao family, the purpose was to feed "Nian" during the pass, so "Nian" and "Gao" were connected together and called rice cakes (homonymous).

[Edit this paragraph] The legend of rice cake

It is said that rice cake spread from Suzhou. There is a legend about its origin: It is said that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Wu Zixu helped Helu seize the throne of the King of Wu, and helped him practice martial arts throughout the year to strengthen the country. However, later Helu was so satisfied that he ordered Wu Zixu to build the "Great City of Helu" "To show his merit.

After the city wall was completed, King Wu held a feast to celebrate. During the banquet, the officials indulged in wine and merriment, thinking that with a strong city, they could sit back and relax. Seeing this scene, Prime Minister Wu Zixu was deeply worried. He called his personal entourage and told him: "The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty now believe that high walls can protect the peace of Wu. Although the city walls can resist enemy soldiers, the people inside will also be restrained if they want to go out. If the enemy surrounds them without fighting, Isn't the state of Wu trapped in a cocoon? If I forget about it, it will lead to disaster. If something happens to me and the state of Wu is trapped and there is no food, you can go dig three feet under Xiangmen City to get food." The followers thought that Wu Zixu had drunk too much wine, so he didn't take it seriously.

Not long after, King Helu of Wu died, and Fu Chai succeeded to the throne. He believed the slander, and Wu Zixu tried his best to admonish King Wu for rejecting the peace proposal of King Gou Jian of Yue Kingdom. He was despised and sentenced to death. After Wu Zixu committed suicide, King Gou Jian of Yue sent troops to attack Wu and surrounded Gusu City, the capital of the Wu Kingdom. The Wu army was trapped in the city, with no cooking or food supplies, and the cries of women and children in the streets were unbearable.

At this time, the attendant remembered Wu Zixu's previous instructions, and hurriedly summoned the neighbors to dig in the ground outside Xiangmen to collect food. When they dug three feet deep under the city wall, they discovered that the city bricks were made of glutinous rice flour. Suddenly people were so excited that they knelt down towards the city wall and thanked Wu Zixu. These glutinous rice noodles saved the people in the city. So under the auspices of Wu Zixu's family, they distributed it to the hungry people in the city, and everyone temporarily survived the famine. Suzhou people admired Wu Zixu’s spirit of patriotism and concern for the people. From then on, they would prepare rice cakes every winter in the twelfth lunar month, not only to express their memory of Wu Zixu, but also to share them with relatives and friends during the Spring Festival when the old year was gone and the new year was coming. Therefore, the shape of Suzhou rice cake is similar to city bricks, and it is not greasy after cooking, does not crack after drying, and does not deteriorate after being stored for a long time.

[Edit this paragraph] Production of rice cakes

The method of grinding glutinous rice to make cakes is also very early. This can be proved from the "Essential Art of Qi Min" written by Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The production method is to sift the glutinous rice flour with silk silk, add water and honey to make a harder dough, stick dates and chestnuts on the dough, wrap it with silkworm leaves and steam it. This kind of glutinous rice pastry is quite characteristic of the Central Plains.

Rice cakes are mostly made from glutinous rice flour, and glutinous rice is a specialty of the south of the Yangtze River. In the north, glutinous rice-like sticky grains have been preferred since ancient times, sticky millet (commonly known as millet). This kind of millet is shelled and ground into powder. After being steamed with water, it becomes yellow, sticky, and sweet. It is a delicacy for people in the Yellow River Basin to celebrate the harvest. The article "Scenery of the Imperial Capital" published during the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty records that Beijingers at that time "ate millet cakes on New Year's Day, called New Year cakes." It is not difficult to see that "Nian Nian Gao" is a homophony of the "sticky cake" in the north.

Experienced rice cake makers say that in order to make good rice cakes, the most important thing is to pay attention to the use of water and oil. In addition, it is also very important whether the glutinous rice flour is pure. Generally, most of the glutinous rice flour bought in the market is adulterated with other rice flours, so it does not taste soft and glutinous enough. Therefore, rice cakes should be made directly from glutinous rice to preserve the purity and original flavor of the rice cakes. Making rice cakes is very simple. Rice cakes can be made into many flavors, but they are all made by adding other ingredients that you like to the most basic original rice cake.

Rice cake is not only a festive delicacy, but also brings new hope to people every year, implying that everything will go well with each passing year. As a poem from the late Qing Dynasty puts it: "People's hearts are so high that they make food with harmonious sounds, meaning that the year is better than the year, so as to pray for good years."

[Edit this paragraph] Rice cakes from various places

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Our country has a vast territory and different customs and habits, so there are also many types of rice cakes. Representative ones include white cakes from the north, yellow rice cakes from farmers in Saibei, water-milled rice cakes from water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, glutinous rice cakes from the southwest, and red turtle cakes from Taiwan. Rice cakes have different flavors from the north to the south. There are two types of northern rice cakes: steamed and fried, both of which are sweet. In addition to steamed and fried, southern rice cakes can also be fried in slices and boiled in soup, with both sweet and salty flavors.

Beijing’s rice cakes are representative of northern rice cakes. They are yellow and white, symbolizing gold and silver, and have the auspicious meaning of “higher years every year”. Therefore, the ancients wrote a poem about rice cake: "The meaning of rice cake is a little cloudy, white as silver and yellow gold. I hope for good times and good fortune as I grow older, and I sincerely and silently wish for wealth." In fact, tracing the history of rice cake, there are records as early as the Zhou Dynasty in China. The "Powder Meal" mentioned in "Guozhao Notes" is a cake made from steamed rice flour. The rice cake in Beijing snacks is steamed with yellow rice or glutinous rice noodles and various accessories. There are many varieties of rice cakes, including date rice cakes, bean rice cakes, rice cake lumps, etc. Fine rice cakes include ginkgo, assorted rice cakes, crystal rice cakes, Ruyi rice cakes, etc. They are mostly cooked by steaming, or deep-fried and dipped in sugar, all of which are sweet and glutinous.

Beijing’s rice cakes are generally supplied by halal Muslim snack bars. In addition to large quantities during the New Year, they are also available on weekdays, but the quantity and variety are smaller than during the Spring Festival. New Year cake is a halal snack for the Hui people and a sacrifice for the Manchu people to dance to the gods. The Manchu name is Fei Shihei A Feng. There is a poem by Shen Zhao in the Qing Dynasty: "The name of the cake is Feishi Heifeng. The taste is as greasy as fat and the color is like a Cong. The fragrance is clean and the gods are paid, and the treasures are the same as golden chrysanthemums and hibiscus." The self-note says: "Manchuria Dance God Sacrifice There are flying stones and black afeng, which are sticky rice cakes. They are as yellow as jade and taste as greasy as fat. They are made of fake oil powder and dipped in honey to make them fragrant. They are then used as gifts to neighbors and relatives. , are all cake names." It can be seen that rice cake has been a snack variety of the Manchus at least in the Qing Dynasty.

The rice cakes in the south are different. Fuzhou rice cakes are called white cakes. Cantonese rice cakes are generally made from glutinous rice flour, sticky rice flour, raw oil, melon seeds, bamboo leaves, etc. It is golden-red in color, soft and sweet, and delicious. Hainan rice cake has a smooth surface, yellow color, soft texture and sweet taste.

According to local customs, during the twelfth lunar month of the lunar calendar, every household rushes to make rice cakes to celebrate the New Year and serve as holiday gifts. Its main raw materials are glutinous rice, sugar, sesame, red dates and water. Hainanese rice cakes can be eaten in various ways. They can be baked or eaten soft, roasted and eaten in soup, or cut into thin slices and fried. New Year cakes are a must-have in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, and there are many types, including sweet-scented osmanthus rice cake, lard rice cake, water-milled rice cake, eight-treasure rice cake, etc. The rice cakes in Jiangsu are typical of Suzhou, which are made of glutinous rice, mainly osmanthus sugar rice cakes and lard rice cakes; the rice cakes of Zhejiang are most common in Ningbo, which are mainly made of late japonica rice and water-milled rice cakes. Taiwanese compatriots also eat rice cakes every year. When making rice cakes, first mix and wash glutinous rice and penglai rice, soak them for three hours, grind them into rice paste and press dry, add sugar and banana oil and knead well. Place a layer of cellophane paper on the bottom of the steamer, place the kneaded rice noodles on top, and place a bamboo tube in each corner for ventilation. Steam for about two to three hours. Use chopsticks to insert into the rice noodles to see if there is any cornstarch. Add water to the pot at any time until steaming is done. Then cut the rice cakes into pieces, save them and eat slowly.

[Edit this paragraph] How to make rice cake

1. Eight-treasure rice cake

Ingredients: 1000 grams of glutinous rice, 20 grams of sugar, 20 grams of sesame seeds, green plums 20g, 20g raisins, 20g peach preserves, 20g winter melon strips, 20g white lotus.

Method:

1. Wash 1,000 grams of glutinous rice, soak it in water for 24 hours, steam it in a drawer, take it out, mash it with a wooden stick and let it cool for later use.

2. Stir 20 grams each of sugar, sesame seeds, green plums, raisins, peach preserves, winter melon strips, and white lotus to make a filling.

3. Brush a layer of lard on a square plate, spread 1 cm thick glutinous rice, add an appropriate amount of stuffing to each layer, and spread three layers.

4. After steaming, cut into small pieces with a knife and serve.

2. Sandwich rice cake

Ingredients: 1000g glutinous rice, 50g adzuki beans, 50g green silk, 50g red silk, appropriate amount of sugar.

Method:

1. Wash 1,000 grams of glutinous rice, soak it for 24 hours, steam it in a drawer, take it out, mash it with a wooden stick, unfold and cut it into two pieces.

2. Boil 50 grams of adzuki beans, add 50 grams each of sugar and green and red shreds to make a filling.

3. Spread the filling on one piece, then place the other piece on top of the filling and press tightly, then cut it into pieces with a knife.

3. Fried white strip cake

Ingredients: 1000 grams of glutinous rice, 500 ml of oil.

Method:

1. Wash and soak 1,000 grams of glutinous rice, drain off the water, steam until cooked, take out, mash with a wooden stick, and crush into pieces.

2. First cut the rice cake into small pieces of about 50 grams with a knife, then put 500 ml of oil in a pot and boil, then add the rice cake, fry until the rice cake floats, and then remove it. out.

4. Fried rice cake

Ingredients: 1000 grams of glutinous rice, 250 grams of japonica rice, 50 grams of lard, 50 grams of sugar, 50 grams of osmanthus sauce, and a little peanut oil.

Method:

1. Wash and soak 1000 grams of glutinous rice and 250 grams of japonica rice, then add water and grind it into a slurry, put it into a cloth bag and squeeze out the water.

2. Put the slurry into a basin, add 50 grams each of lard, sugar and osmanthus sauce and mix well.

3. Brush the square plate with peanut oil, put the kneaded dough into the plate and spread it flat, then steam it over high heat for about 30 minutes until it is cooked.

4. Cut into long cubes after cooling, then put into peanut oil pan and fry over medium heat.

5. Soup rice cake

Ingredients: rice cake, red beans, white fungus.

Method:

1. Soak white fungus and wash it; After washing the red beans, soak them in hot water and simmer for half an hour.

2. Add a bowl of water and simmer for half an hour.

3. After half an hour, add white fungus and start cooking, then simmer for another half an hour.

4. Steam the rice cake and then slice or roll it into balls and add it to the soup.

6. Bean Paste and Rice Cake Soup

1. Boil the water in the pot, cut the Ningbo Shuimo Rice Cake into slices and cook in water, then heat over low heat and wait for the second step. If you are willing to eat a bit chewier, you can cut the rice cake thicker.

2. Dilute the bean paste with water in a bowl like flour, slowly pour it into the pot for cooking rice cakes, mix thoroughly with a spoon, and add some sugar according to everyone's taste, and it's ok.

7. Fried rice cake with shredded pork and vegetables

Ingredients: shredded pork, vegetables (usually rapeseed), rice cake

Method:

1. Use meat tenderizer to grasp the shredded pork, add cooking wine and oil and mix well; cut the vegetables into appropriate lengths

2. Put oil in the pot, stir-fry the shredded pork and vegetables, add some salt, and fry well Remove and set aside

3. Add oil, add rice cakes, stir-fry quickly, and constantly add water to prevent sticking to the pan. Stir-fry until the rice cakes become soft, add fried shredded pork and vegetables, add some salt and chicken essence , you can add some water and wait until the soup is almost dry before taking it out of the pot.

8. Crispy fried rice cake and seaweed rolls

Ingredients: appropriate amount of rice cake, several sheets of seaweed, appropriate amount of fried pulp

Method: first cut the rice cake into square shapes, You can choose any size, then wrap it with seaweed, dip it in fried batter, fry it at about 170 degrees until crispy, and serve it on a plate.

Tips: Control the oil temperature, not too high or too low.

9. Rice cake with sugar water

Ingredients: 150g two-color rice cake, 40g ginger slices, 450g water, 75g rock sugar

Method: First cut the two-color rice cake into square shapes , any size; bring water and ginger slices to a boil; add rice cake and cook for about five minutes.

Tips: The sweetness can be adjusted down according to your preference. The cooking time for rice cakes should not be too long.

10. Crispy Fried Gillette Water chestnut cake

Ingredients: appropriate amount of water chestnut cake, appropriate amount of bread crumbs, 1 egg, appropriate amount of cornstarch

Method: first Cut the water chestnut cake into pieces, cover it with cornstarch, add egg paste, and then cover it with bread crumbs. Heat oil at about 170 degrees and deep-fry until golden brown before serving.

Tips: You can dip it in tomato juice and eat it together to make it non-greasy.

11. Guangdong and Hong Kong style rice cake

Ingredients: appropriate amount of various rice cakes, appropriate amount of cooking oil

Method:

1. Fry ---Cut various rice cakes into slices of any size. Add a little oil and fry the rice cake until golden brown.

2. Steaming--cut all kinds of rice cakes into slices and steam them thoroughly.

Tips: The above method maintains the original taste of the rice cake, and the taste is delicate and smooth.

12. Crab rice cakes

Ingredients: crab, small rice cakes, green onions, ginger, low sodium salt, sugar, dark soy sauce, MSG, cooking wine, water starch

Method:

1. Cut the crabs in half, fry them in an oil pan and serve;

2. Add rice cakes to the remaining oil and stir-fry them;

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3. Put the fried crabs into the pot and stir-fry together;

4. Add cooking wine, ginger, soy sauce, etc. to season and simmer for a while;

5. Then, add sugar and a little MSG;

6. Finally, thicken the sauce and it’s ready to serve.

Thirteen. Sausage and rice cake

Ingredients: Sausage\rice cake slices\green pepper\carrot

Ingredients: green onion

Method:

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1. Slice various raw materials

2. Put a little oil in the pot, add green onions and fry till fragrant

3. Add sausages

4. Add rice cake, you can add a little water, stir-fry the rice cake until soft

5. Add green peppers and carrots, stir-fry until cooked

14. Yellow rice rice cake outside the Great Wall

Ingredients: Millet flour (yellow rice flour), corn flour, red kidney beans, red dates

Method:

1. Mix millet flour (yellow rice flour) and corn flour at a ratio of 3:1.

2. Pour hot water over the noodles to make them loose and not lumpy.

3. Cover the cage with cabbage leaves (or cage cloth), add water to the pot and bring to a boil.

4. Sprinkle a layer of red kidney beans on the vegetable leaves (or basket cloth), sprinkle a layer of loosely wet flour, and then sprinkle a layer of red dates...The thickness of the flour should cover the sprinkled dates and dates. Kidney beans prevail.

5. Use chopsticks to poke the noodles during the spreading process to aerate the surface, otherwise it will be easy to get cooked.

6.45--Steamed in 60 minutes.

A reminder

Rice cakes are not only sweet and delicious, but also rich in nutrients and have the effect of keeping fit and curing diseases. According to laboratory tests, rice cakes have higher calories, several times that of rice. However, rice cakes contain little water and are not easy to digest. They can easily produce phlegm after eating. Therefore, people suffering from indigestion, stomach and intestinal diseases and asthma should not eat more. Eat less and not get tired. It not only supplements nutrition, but also is good for your body.

Nutritional analysis

Rice cake contains protein, fat, carbohydrate, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other nutritional and health elements

Preservation of rice cake

Soaking rice cakes in water is a good way to preserve them, but be aware that rice cakes soaked in water need to be washed every day and the water needs to be changed every day, so that they can be stored for a longer time; if you The rice cakes have been soaked in water without cleaning or changing the water. They have developed a sour taste and cannot be eaten anymore. In addition, after washing the rice cakes, wrap each piece in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer of the refrigerator. Take as much as you can eat. This method can preserve the rice cakes for a longer period of time.

[Edit this paragraph] A traditional time-honored brand in old Beijing - Nian Gao Qian

Nian Gao Qian’s ancestral home is Niu Street, Guang’anmen. Mentioning Niu Street, the place where our ancestors thrived, will naturally arouse many childhood memories. remember. Niujie has a thousand-year-old mosque. The buildings are majestic and ancient Berlin stands tall, and 80% of the surrounding residents believe in Islam. Except for some wealthy merchants engaged in jewelry and jade who live in courtyards, most of the rest are small businessmen selling goods or selling their labor and living in low-rise bungalows. There is a popular saying in Niujie: "Two knives come back, one sells beef and the other sells rice cakes."

Qian Lao’s grandfather, Qian Qicheng (born in 1850), had six brothers. They mainly bought noodles, selling steamed buns and other snacks, which are now the pancake roasted cakes, some sweet and some salty. , supplemented by selling rice cakes. When it came to his father Qian Baowen (born in 1815), there were six brothers in his generation, four of whom were in the same trade. His father was also a shed maker, mainly selling rice cakes. At that time, in the streets and alleys of Niujie, a cry of "Hot cake! It's so hot!" was heard by the neighbors.

Mr. Qian himself followed his second brother to sell cut cakes at the age of twelve. Later, he started doing business independently, including rice cakes, donkey rolling, etc., in Qianmen Street and Tianqiao area. In the 1980s, retired Qian Lao opened the first "Nian Gao Qian" store in Niujie and became the first self-employed person to sell rice cakes in Niujie. Now when Niujie mentions it, there is no one who doesn’t know about the Qian family. "The rice cakes are sticky and the bean paste is sweet" was the comment given by the people at that time. It was really old-fashioned and gave Mr. Qian a lot of encouragement and confidence, and the business was very prosperous. It is said that many old-timers selling rice cakes saw the shortcomings and devoted themselves to preaching and teaching, so that the energetic Qian Lao developed many new varieties and formed a series of Beijing snacks, which can supply different varieties according to different solar terms, such as pea yellow and kidney bean rolls. , yam rolls, yellow rice noodle fried cakes, tea dishes, sugar-rolled nuts, chestnut cakes, etc., are in short supply. Under the caring leadership of Xuanwu Industry and Commerce and Municipal Individual Association, we also successfully participated in the Watermelon Festival in Daxing County and the Snack Festival in Tong County. On the snack street in Tong County, Vice Premier Tian Jiyun personally wrote the inscription "New Year Cake Family", which made Mr. Qian know him. It is not easy to receive such recognition and honor for a craft that has been passed down from our ancestors for more than a hundred years. Later, he actively participated in the "1989 snack banquet held at the Xinqiao Hotel to entertain ambassadors from various countries"; "1998 snack banquet held at the China World Hotel to entertain the World Finance Ministers' Meeting"; and "1999 Diaoyutai State Guesthouse's 50th Anniversary Daqing Snack Banquet" 》

In March 2003, Nian Gaoqian joined the team preparing to establish the "Old Beijing Traditional Snacks Association". Under the leadership of the initiator Mr. Hou Jia, seven time-honored brands including "Baodu Feng", "Cheese Wei", "Hubu Street Ma Ji Yuesheng Zhai", "Jun Wang Deshun Zhai", "Sheep Head Horse" and "Tofu Nao Bai" jointly organized the " The First Traditional Snack Tasting Banquet of Old Beijing”, “Spring Festival Delegation Visit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Laoshe Tea House”, “Commemorating the 600th Anniversary of the Construction of the Mutianyu Great Wall”, “National Museum’s Appreciation to American World War II Veterans for Donating Items”, “Former Vice President Rong Yiren’s Family Banquet”, etc. .

In 2006, the "Xuanwu District Old Beijing Traditional Snacks Continuation and Development Association" was established. "Nian Gaoqian" joined the association as the first batch of members, and together with more than a dozen other time-honored brands, they jointly created the snack business card of old Beijing in the scenic Shichahai "Jiumen Snacks". Nian Gaoqian, a famous snack in old Beijing!

A small amount of rice cake money, so much effort.

Cherish it, every item is hard-earned!

If you add sugar to the rice cake, it will taste better!