Behind even a seemingly ordinary cuisine in Shaanxi, there is a deep cultural history. Crystal cake with the title of "the first of Qin dian" is now one of the household names in Xi'an, especially during the Spring Festival, the shops in xi'an's alleys will be placed with stacks of crystal cakes, and it is indispensable on the dining table of every household, but counting hundreds of years ago, crystal cakes are authentic royal tributes, and they have also been hand-picked by Empress Dowager Cixi.
Nowadays, Shaanxi people love to buy crystal cakes for the New Year, which is not unrelated to the inheritance of traditional culture, Xi'an people pay attention to the "four gifts" in gift-giving, and crystal cake cakes are the most common choice in the "four things". Legend has it that in the Northern Song Dynasty there was a famous Xiang Kou Zhun who was loved by the people, one year when he returned to his hometown in Weinan, Shaanxi To visit his relatives, the local township party sent dozens of crystal clear snacks to celebrate, the white crystal cake symbolized Kou Zhun's clean and honest style, and later Kou Zhun let his own chef improve the recipe on the basis of the original, because of its white jade, shaped like a stone drum, it was named "crystal cake", which is the origin of the crystal cake. During the Yuan Dynasty, crystal cakes have been exported to major cities, but what really makes crystal cakes famous is the famous Empress Dowager Cixi, who presented local specialties when she fled west to Xi'an, and Empress Dowager Cixi praised the crystal cakes here endlessly, so she hand-picked them as royal tributes, for a time crystal cakes were popular in the palace and folk, and now after a hundred years of inheritance, crystal cakes have become one of the representatives of Shaanxi food culture with the same name as lamb steamed buns.
The main ingredients of crystal cake are rock sugar, walnut kernels, green and red silk and rose petals, etc., which are rich in indwelling, peeled and crispy on the outside, sweet but not greasy, well-layered and nutritious. Crystal cake production process is complicated, after the filling, skin making, baking and other traditional craft procedures passed down, its inverted rich, a wide variety of types, red bean paste, milk yellow, purple potato and other flavors and colors, generally in the middle of the cake will also be stamped with a red seal, the style is more retro.
There are some theories that the earliest mooncakes in Chinese history actually refer to the crystal cakes of Shaanxi, because the Mid-Autumn Festival and the mooncakes both originated in Chang'an, so although this statement is not clearly recorded, it is also inseparable. Since its inception, crystal cakes have a good reputation in the court and folk, and their crystal clear appearance inherits the traditional Chinese craftsmanship.
Nowadays, the production technology of Demaogong crystal cake has become an intangible cultural heritage, and as the endorsement of Shaanxi pastries, it is highly renowned in guanzhong and is a long-established brand that Xi'an has loved to eat for generations. In addition to the Spring Festival, crystal cakes will also appear on many important occasions in the Guanzhong area, such as weddings and funerals, which cannot lack this unique flavor of crystal cakes. Crystal cakes do not have a delicate and gorgeous appearance and packaging, simple and generous like the land of Shaanxi, the soft skin is wrapped in the unforgettable memories of Shaanxi people.