Rice cake

During the Spring Festival, many regions in our country have a tradition of eating rice cakes, also known as "yearly cakes" or "nian gao," which sounds similar to "prosperity year by year," symbolizing that people's work and life improve with each passing year. Rice cakes, as a food item, have a long history in China. In 1974, archaeologists discovered rice seeds at the Hemudu Neolithic site in Yuyao, Zhejiang, indicating that our ancestors began planting rice as early as seven thousand years ago. The Han people had various names for rice cakes, such as "rice cake," "glutinous rice ball," and "sticky cake." The process of making rice cakes evolved from using whole grains to using ground rice flour. The sixth-century recipe book "Shi Ci" describes the method of making New Year's cake called "white cocoon sugar": "Cook glutinous rice until it is thoroughly cooked, then while still hot, pound it into a sticky mass in a clean mortar and pestle, ensuring there are no remaining grains of rice...". After pounding, the glutinous rice is cut into pieces the size of peach kernels, dried, fried, and coated with sugar before being consumed. The method of grinding rice into flour to make…