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Time-honored rice cake popular before Spring Festival

ezhejiang.gov.cn| Updated: January 16, 2023 L M S

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Rice dough is pounded at a workshop in Kecheng district, Quzhou. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

The Chencun Rice Cake Workshop in Kecheng district, Quzhou is busy making rice cakes for the upcoming Spring Festival, local media reported on Jan 16.

Rice cakes are an absolutely necessity in China during the traditional Spring Festival because its Chinese name "Nian Gao" sounds similar to the Chinese for "becoming more prosperous year by year."

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Rice cakes are made in Quzhou. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

Locals wrap up the ground rice milk with gauze to squeeze out the water, then shave the rice block into powder and steam the rice powder after pouring it into a steamer layer by layer.

The experienced workers then knead the steamed rice powder into long rice balls and then repeatedly knead them for a more delicate taste. The last step is to cut the long rice balls into shorter ones or square rice cakes.