What food does Tomb-Sweeping Day eat?

Tomb-Sweeping Day has the custom of eating prickly heat in both north and south of China. Xunzi was called a cooler in ancient times. It is a fried noodle food made of glutinous rice flour and twist. It tastes crisp and delicate, and it tastes excellent.

Jia Sixie, a famous agronomist in the Northern Wei Dynasty, recorded in detail the methods of making coolers in the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties in the Book of Qi Yao Min. The appellations of Xunzi in past dynasties also included Zan, thin ring cake and twisted head. It is made by kneading dough with water, rolling into thin strips, rolling into rings and frying. Because of its crisp and sweet taste, it has gradually become a daily snack for our people.

In Anhui, during festivals, "hairpin" is used to worship ancestors and give gifts to each other. Hui and Dongxiang people also make prickly heat, and the ingredients and practices are different from those of Han people. Later, prickly heat, which was popular in Han areas, was also different between the north and the south: the prickly heat in the north was large, mainly wheat flour; Southern prickly heat is ok, mostly rice noodles.

In ethnic minority areas, there are many kinds of prickly heat with different flavors, especially in Uygur, Dongxiang, Naxi and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.