“Song Hua Tuan Zi” (a sweet snack made of glutinous rice and rock candy) is a traditional Suzhou snack that is commonly seen in rural households in Suzhou’s Dongshan, Mudu and Hengjing at the end of spring and the beginning of summer every year.
Liu Qingxian, a gourmet living in Suzhou’s Wangshi Lane lived in Hengjing when she was young. She recalled that when pine flowers were in blossom after the Tomb-sweeping Day every year, villagers from far and wide would pick the flowers, dry them under the sun and grind them into powder.
The golden pine flower powder smells fresh and sweet, which is why good Song Hua Tuan Zi looks golden and tastes fragrant and sweet. Pine flower powder is very popular among native Suzhou residents for its high medicinal value.
Making Song Hua Tuan Zi is simple. Wrap sesame or bean-paste filling in cooked glutinous rice rolls, flatten the rolls and dip them in pine flower powder, and you can taste the fresh and tasty snack in a few minutes.
