Before and after the Qingming Festival, wormwood was flourishing. Every time I go to Tomb-Sweeping Day, many families in Ningbo will use wormwood and black rice leaves to make a series of delicious dishes: green balls, sesame seeds and black rice cakes. It is said that since the Tang Dynasty, every Qingming Festival, every family in the south of the Yangtze River has the custom of making youth league and making cakes. Ningbo people are no exception. The green ball is simple to make. After cleaning the picked Folium Artemisiae Argyi, add edible alkaline water or baking soda, pour it into hot water and blanch it to remove the bitter taste. Drain and set aside. Add rice flour, steam it, pour it into a stone mortar, and beat it for thousands of times while it is hot, until Ai Qing and rice flour are completely integrated, and beat it into a big green dumpling, giving off a unique aroma, which belongs to the unique taste of Qingming.

Divide the big dumplings into one or two green dumplings, press them thin with the palm of your hand, embed them with fillings such as soybean powder, sesame powder, shredded bamboo shoots with pickles, wrap them into balls, roll a thin layer of pine pollen, and the flat green dumplings are made. You can also take out the wooden seals carved with flowers, dragons and phoenixes and press them, and the simple dumplings will become exquisite snacks, with a sense of ceremony.

There is an old saying in Ningbo: "Qingming Mashi long summer Group" and "One gift for another, Mashi for glutinous rice". In addition to the Youth League, another food related to "youth" is called sesame paste, which is also a favorite of Ningbo people. Hot dumplings are rolled with thick pine pollen, spread flat with a rolling pin, and cut into palm-sized diamonds, which becomes a hemp cake.

White sugar or brown sugar will be added when making Ai Qing Ma Cuo in Dongqian Lake launching and Ninghai Huchen, making the taste more fragrant and slightly sweet. This method is slightly sweet, very soft and has a long shelf life. Like the Youth League and the Masi, the black rice cake is also one of the snacks for Ningbo people to worship their ancestors in Qingming Festival. "Seven Revision Manuscripts" in the Ming Dynasty recorded: "Picking the leaves of Erythrina, dyeing the rice blue as a sacrifice, and making Ziyang angry." This food custom has been passed down to this day. During the Qingming Festival, the newly sprouted black rice leaves (scientific name Nanzhuzhu) are very tender and juicy. A large number of tender leaves, crushed, squeezed out juice, soaked in glutinous rice for 24 hours, and the juice completely penetrated into the rice grains. Pour into the rice cooker, press the cooking button, add sugar after cooking, and put it into a square box for compaction. Cool, cut into small pieces, sprinkle with dried osmanthus, and add fragrance and color. The finished black rice cake is glossy and glossy, with its own fragrance. Because of its simple method, it has also become one of the must-have cakes for many families in Ningbo.