Soft, Sticky and Sweet Treats to Beat the Cold

1.Rice Cakes


People in Hangzhou with a sweet tooth probably love all kinds of glutinous rice cakes. Especially the traditional desserts that can be found everywhere on the old streets and alleys are the most authentic in taste.


Zhiweiguan, Jiangnanchun, Caizhizhai, Daxing Rice Cake, and Zhuyitang and so on are some of the oldest shops to choose from, and they are all good flavors that people are willing to queue up for.


In the early morning, the dim sum shops on the old streets are already stocked with all kinds of rice cakes: Dingsheng Cake, Tiaotou Cake, Honey Cake, Square Cake and Osmanthus Rice Cake...


The soft and chewy outer skin of Dingsheng Cake is attractive enough, and the more you chew, the stronger the rice flavor becomes, while the bean paste filling inside is dense and sweet.


The freshly baked Tiaotou Cake is hot, soft and very sweet. Its thin outer skin reveals the full bean paste filling inside, which is extremely delicate and dense.


Most of this sticky texture comes from sticky grains such as glutinous rice and yellow rice, which become soft and delicate after steaming and other processes and at the same time are very sticky.


The combination of this wonderful texture and the sweet filling makes for a perfect match, tantalizing the taste buds of all kinds of foodies.


Of course, there is also a dazzling array of white and colorful cakes, which you can buy in a bag on a casual walk through the warm old streets and lively old towns.


Then you can sit down at a tea house, order a pot of tea and some tea snacks, and spend a leisurely early winter afternoon there.


These glutinous snacks, hidden on the streets and alleys of Hangzhou, are a great way to satisfy and soothe your stomach during the cold season.


2. Maci


Maci can be found in many parts of Hangzhou, and apart from the festive season, it is also popular for people to make Maci to send to relatives and neighbors on the occasion of birthday celebrations. The sweet aroma of Maci carries good wishes to every household.


For example, the stuffed Maci at Sandu, Jiande, wrapping sesame sugar inside, has a distinctive flavor. It is locally known as "Maci Cake."


The black sesame filled Maci is just like the ones your grandma used to buy at the entrance of the lane when you were a child. It is a taste from childhood memories.


Xiaoshan Jinhua's handmade pollen pini Maci is a bit like the northern “Donkey Roll,” with glutinous rice wrapped in sweet pollen pini, and cane sugar and chestnut powder as the finishing touches before serving. But different from the “Donkey Roll,” it has a sesame filling inside and the two aromas blend perfectly.


A whole sticky Maci is cut into easy-to-eat widths and spread out in the sunlight, giving off an enticing aroma.


The "new style" of Maci that is still popular today - Maci wrapped in dough sticks - is a boon to carbohydrates lovers. With crispy dough sticks wrapping soft and sticky Maci, the aromas of oil, dough and sesame seeds make it extremely satisfying!