Sanzi : China's Crispy 2,000-Year-Old Snack

Описание: Sǎnzi is a traditional fried wheat-based pastry with a history of over 2,000 years in China, dating back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods . Su Shi, a great literary giant of the Northern Song Dynasty, once praised it in verse as "deep yellow and tender, fried in green oil." The Compendium of Materia Medica, a classic medical text from the Ming Dynasty, described it as "crisp like frost and snow."

This golden, crispy ring-shaped pastry has evolved into various flavors across different regions of China.

In northern China, wheat flour is mostly used, giving Sanzi a delicate texture.
In southern China, rice flour is commonly employed, resulting in a simple and rustic taste.
The "Wu Sanzi" from Peng'an County, Sichuan Province, stands out with its unique characteristics. According to legend, after Wu Daoxuan, the "Saint of Painting" (a renowned painter in the Tang Dynasty), subdued a evil dragon in the local area, the people there fried glutinous rice dough into shapes resembling the ropes used to bind the dragon, thus creating this special Sanzi. Ji Jinzhong, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Peng'an Wu Sanzi (also known as fried dough twists), adheres to the traditional method: he twists rice and wheat flour into thin strands, coils them into shapes, and fries them in oil for 6 hours until they turn golden and crispy.

The most classic way to enjoy it is to pair it with "youcha" (a savory breakfast soup made by boiling rice pulp), along with seasonings like peanuts. The crispy aroma of Sanzi complements the smooth and dense texture of the rice pulp, forming a distinctive breakfast specialty in the Sichuan and Chongqing regions.