After being away for a long time, what I most want to eat is the braised pancakes from my hometown. I am obsessed with it, but no one here even knows the name of the braised pancakes. I have no choice but to find some words to explain my craving.

Jizhou braised cake has a long historical origin, contains profound cultural accumulation and little-known stories, and has been passed down to this day.

"Ji County Chronicles" records: Every February 2, Jizhou people have the custom of eating braised cakes, which symbolizes that "the fields will not grow insects if they are baked dry".

Just a dozen words contain a wealth of historical information, reflecting the Jizhou people's strong desire for good weather and abundant harvests during the farming society period.

According to research, braised cakes originated in Jizhou during the Ming Dynasty.

By the end of the Qing Dynasty, Jizhou people doing business in Beijing, Tianjin and other places formed several major business groups such as the "Bank Gang", the "Hardware Gang" and the "Grocery Gang".

In this context, some "Jizhou restaurants" opened by Jizhou people in Beijing, Tianjin and other places have local specialty staple food such as "Jizhou braised cakes" to attract customers from their hometowns.

In this way, "Jizhou Braised Cake" gradually became famous.

Making traditional Jizhou braised pancakes requires a special iron pot, which is 5 to 8cm thick, helmet-shaped and weighs more than 20 kilograms.

This kind of iron pot conducts heat stably and evenly, making the soup easy to eat without sticking to the pot. However, ordinary frying spoons cannot achieve this effect.

The cake strips used also need to be specially baked, commonly known as "baggong cake", with no more than 3 layers, rolled out thinly and baked, and cut into strips by hand to be fine and even.

The production process pays attention to "old soup with sesame oil, stir-frying first and then simmering, covering the pot to savor, and turning the ladle out of the pot."

Laotang refers to a soup stock made by mixing pork ribs and chicken bones on a back pot stove.

There are also strict requirements on the ratio of soup to cake strips.

Usually one pound of cake and three ounces of soup.

The heat is also very important. It should be stir-fried over high heat and simmered over low heat.

If the time is too long, the cake strips will become dry; if the time is too short, the cake will appear sticky, which will affect the taste.

Jizhou braised cakes made according to traditional techniques are bright yellow in color, soft in texture, non-sticky and mellow in taste.

There are many types of braised pancakes, including vegetarian braised pancakes, meat braised pancakes (fat meat is stir-fried in a large way, and lean meat is stir-fried in a small way), yellow vegetable braised pancakes (egg braised pancakes), mandarin duck braised pancakes (there are two styles in one plate)

Wait a few.

Jizhou braised cakes not only have a unique flavor, but also have many legendary stories told during hundreds of years of inheritance.

Liu Liping (1889-1963) was a native of Fuguan Village, Jizhou. He was famous for his Jizhou braised pancakes and Manchu-Han banquets.

In the early years of the Republic of China, he took charge of the Wanxing Building in Pier Li, a major commercial town.

Every year during the temple fair, Xi Xiaobo, one of the famous Peking Opera actors "one of the four great must-haves", would come to Pier Li Lai to sing in the opera.

He likes to eat Liu Liping’s braised pancakes and stir-fried vegetables.

Once it was raining heavily, so the waiter didn't go to Wanxing Building to order food, so he ordered some from a nearby restaurant and brought it to the table.

When Xi Xiaobo tasted it, he put down his chopsticks and his expression changed: "Why doesn't it taste like that? This must not be made by Liu Liping of Wanxinglou!" He was about to take the food away, but after everyone persuaded him, he reluctantly ate some.

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This shows that Xi Xiaobo appreciates the traditional Jizhou braised cakes.

Since the reform and opening up, with the development of Jizhou, merchants from 21 countries including Russia, the United States, Japan, and Israel have eaten Jizhou braised pancakes and praised this food with strong local characteristics.

For more than a hundred years, Jizhou braised cake has been integrated into the family of the motherland's food culture and has continued to evolve. It has gradually evolved from a diet with distinctive regional characteristics into a popular popular food with a wide range of popularity.