Every year before the Spring Festival, we will have a small year first. Although the off-year is not as grand as the New Year, it is also one of the indispensable customs in Chinese tradition. The customs of spending off-year are different in different parts of the country. In Shaanxi and other places, there is the custom of eating Guo Kui in off-year. The pot helmet here is not the meaning of iron pot and helmet, but a traditional delicacy.

The custom of eating Guo kui in off-year

There are many customs in the off-year, and the customs in each place are somewhat different. The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the lunar new year. On this day, people will prepare food early to welcome the kitchen god, and the food prepared in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and Qinghai regions is Guo Kui. Locals believe that eating a pot helmet in off-year symbolizes reunion, peace and perfection. Therefore, every household in the off-year must have a pot helmet.

What is a Guo kui?

Many people have never heard of or eaten Guo kui. Literally, it is hard to see that it is a delicious food. Guo Kui, also known as Guo Kui and Gan Mo, is a local traditional pasta snack that urban and rural residents in Guanzhong area of Shaanxi Province and Gansu Province like to eat. The cake is two feet in diameter, round and thick like a pot cover, so it is named Guo Kui. Guo Kui originated from a gift given by grandma to her grandson He Miyue, and later developed into a flavor convenience food. The production of Shaanxi Guokui can be traced back to Shang and Zhou Dynasties. According to legend, Guo Kui was used as a soldier's commissary when King Wu of Zhou cut Zhou. In Xifu area of Shaanxi Province, there is also a variety of Guo Kui called Wu Wang Guo Kui. Although Guo Kui is a street snack, it tastes good, so it is widely loved by local people.

Where do you eat Guo kui in the next year?

China has a vast territory and abundant resources, and its food culture has its own merits. Guokui is a folk snack in northwest Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang and other places, especially in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and Qinghai. Among the top ten strange rhymes in Shaanxi compiled by outsiders in the province, one is a steamed bun like a pot cover, which means a pot helmet. The famous ones in Guanzhong are Ganzhou Guokui, Jingyang Guokui, Wugong Guokui, Changwu Guokui, Qishan Guokui, Fufeng Guokui, Fengxiang Guokui and Xihe Guokui. It is not difficult to make a pot helmet, which is mainly made of flour through fermentation and baking. Interested friends can find a chance to taste it.