"Wine cake" is a traditional famous snack in Suzhou, is the representative food of spring season, since March, Suzhou old town or ancient towns have appeared in the wine cake baking. The main ingredients are winter wheat flour and sake brewing. Due to climatic reasons, it is only done in March and April. Sake cakes are divided into meat and vegetarian, and the main varieties are rose, bean paste, mint and other flavors, and lard is added, so it is better to eat hot food. Wine cakes are characterized by sweet, fat, soft and tough, oily and crystalline, and bright colors. In addition to the dough, the filling melts in the mouth, which is still endless.
Speaking of wine-made cakes, where they came from, the legend is related to Zhang Shicheng. It is said that in the last years of the Yuan Dynasty, there was corruption in the official field, class hierarchy differentiation, severe taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and the people's livelihood, and a large number of armed forces against the Mongolian Yuan government quickly appeared in China. Legend has it that before Zhang Shicheng's power grew, he once took his mother to flee because of accidental injury, and it coincided with the Cold Food Festival (before the Qingming Dynasty), and the old mother fainted from hunger. On the way, a kind uncle saw Zhang Shicheng filial piety and gave him the cake made from the lees of the family to save his mother. A few years later, Zhang Shicheng rebelled with his brothers who sold smuggled salt and proclaimed himself king, gradually overthrowing the landlord class in Jiangnan. Zhang Shicheng did not forget to save his mother's benefactor, and ordered the cold food festival to eat distilled lees cake, called "saving the mother cake".
However, in the chaotic era at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng did not have grand political ambitions and ambitions, and was stationed in Suzhou, hoping to be in a corner of peace. In the end, the few remaining rebel armies did not think so, and Zhu Yuanzhang defeated Chen Youyu and attacked Suzhou. Zhang Shicheng was eventually defeated and hanged himself in the Ying Tianfu cell.
The common people are grateful to Zhang Shicheng for being good to the people when he ruled. However, the "save the mother cake" can no longer be called, and it is quietly changed to "wine cake", which has been passed down to this day.
Wine is good at penetrating, used as medicine, can activate the blood meridian, scatter knots and reduce swelling. The filling of the sake cake is divided into meat and vegetarian, and the main varieties are rose, bean paste, mint and so on. The wine cake is preferably hot food, and is characterized by sweet, fat, soft and tough, oily and crystalline, bright color and distinct taste.