What is the origin and story of Osmanthus Jelly in Guilin?

Osmanthus Jelly has a history of more than 400 years. According to legend, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was a vendor named Liu Jixiang in Xindu County, who was inspired by the research on the incense of Gui Zi, the top scholar Yang Sheng 'an. He collected fresh osmanthus, squeezed out bitter water, soaked it in honey, mixed it with steamed rice flour, glutinous rice flour, cooked oil and extracted sugar, and sold it in boxes, named Osmanthus Jelly. For more than 300 years, the candy stores that inherited and manufactured Osmanthus Jelly have continuously improved their technology. Now refined sugar, maltose, flour, glutinous rice flour, vegetable oil and honey osmanthus are used as raw materials, which are prepared in a proper proportion and refined by steaming, frying, grinding, mixing, rolling and cutting boxes. This product has the characteristics of white as jade, sweet and refreshing, fine slag melting and rich Gui Xiang.

When it comes to China's famous traditional dim sum, Osmanthus Jelly deserves the first place. Its production method is simple, its taste is mellow and delicious, and it is loved by many people at all times and all over the world. Moreover, Osmanthus Jelly in different places has different local flavors, and various ingredients also give them a choice with customs and characteristics.

There are different folk stories about the origin of Osmanthus Jelly. The most popular story is that Yang Shengan dreamed of Kuixing at night. Kuixing immediately asked him if he wanted to go to the Moon Palace to win the crown. Of course he agreed, and the treatment was extraordinary. The West Sea Dragon King personally took him to heaven and saw the beautiful scenery in the Moon Palace. Although he woke up the next day and found it was a dream, his journey to catch the exam was very smooth and he won the first prize, that is, folding branches.

Later, in the Ming Dynasty, a vendor named Liu borrowed this story to turn fresh osmanthus into delicious cakes, which won the praise of everyone at that time, and the production was handed down.

However, in another version, Osmanthus Jelly is an adventure of a poor family. Because of the bad business, their grain tanks bottomed out, so they followed their neighbors' advice and started to do Osmanthus Jelly. But they just prepared the raw materials and haven't started making them yet. The materials put in the wooden box last night have turned into cakes. What's more strange is that the cake is delicious and can remind people of their childhood memories. After the news spread like wildfire, neighbors, old and young, came to try his Osmanthus Jelly. Because of greed, they put more and more materials into the iron box. Until one day, the taste of Osmanthus Jelly was not as good as before, and the family was very strange, so they observed it at night. Sure enough, at midnight, they saw a rabbit trying to make a cake, but it was exhausted and fainted. The mother of that family immediately understood the reason, made Osmanthus Jelly herself, fed it to the rabbit and raised it.

Since then, Osmanthus Jelly has been family-oriented, making everyone's favorite food instantly popular with the royal family. Therefore, the palace began to produce Osmanthus Jelly with finer and higher specifications. In the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong married his daughter to the descendants of Confucius, but later he missed her very much. So when he goes out to visit the palace, he always takes his daughter's favorite food, such as Osmanthus Jelly, and because the emperor brought it himself, even ordinary Osmanthus Jelly became the Eucharist of Confucius.

Especially at the end of the Qing Dynasty, Xiao Sanpeng of the Confucius family entered the palace with him. Just to make Osmanthus Jelly more advanced, she deliberately changed a small and exquisite name-Shouzi Wooden Cabinet Cake.

Nowadays, this time-honored snack is often invited to the table of state banquets. Although its appearance and form have changed greatly, its internal and consistent production methods and technologies have remained unchanged from generation to generation.