Jianhu Lotus Root Starch Rice Ball

Lotus Root Starch Rice Ball is a traditional local snack in Jianhu County, Jiangsu Province. It is said that the history of this snack can be dated back to over 200 years ago. In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, there was an imperial chef from Huduo (the former name of Jianhu County), who elaborately made a court dessert with a unique folk flavor-Lotus Root Starch Rice Ball, which was greatly appreciated by the emperor after tasting. A few years later, the chef returned to his hometown and made Lotus Root Starch Rice Ball in his hometown, leading to the spread of such court snack in Huduo until today.

Lotus Root Starch Rice Ball is featured by being fresh and sweet, tasty, refreshing, without being greasy, as well as its lingering aftertaste, rich content of nutrition, and the function of strengthening bones and blood. It is usually served on banquets in Jianhu and surrounding areas. Guests passing by Jianhu often expect this dish when in banquets and get-together dinners. When the famous writer Ba Jin led a visiting delegation to visit Jianhu City, he tasted and praised it unceasingly. In 1958, it became well-known throughout Jiangsu for its outstanding performance in the provincial appraisal event of famous dishes. After tasting, economist Fei Xiaotong wrote an article in newspapers and periodicals and called it as a “treasure”.