A resident of Huangnilong village in Jindong district, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, makes glutinous rice cakes as temperatures drop. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]
Residents of Huangnilong village in Jindong district, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, were busy making glutinous rice cakes at a food factory on Nov 28.
Wang Xuxin, who is in charge of the factory, said that he has been making glutinous rice cakes for more than 30 years and due to the early cool weather, rice cakes have entered their peak sales period earlier than usual this year.
Wang added that his factory usually offers five varieties of rice cakes: corn, black rice, buckwheat, sorghum, and glutinous rice (the original flavor). Among them, the original glutinous rice flavor is the best-selling.
The traditional local rice cakes come in two shapes: round and rectangular. The sales of rectangular rice cakes are better than those of round ones, but older customers still prefer to buy round rice cakes because they are hand-kneaded and have a chewier texture.
Glutinous rice cakes are a traditional festive food during the Lunar New Year in China, and in ancient times, they were a traditional festival offering to the bull god.