Suzhou-style pastry

Among China's 12 regional varieties of pastries, Suzhou-style pastry stands out for its sweet taste, softness, glutinousness and pliability.

It originated as early as the Spring and Autumn Period (777-221 BC) and gradually improved until the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It has since given rise to more than 130 different types, including the popular Suzhou-style mooncakes and lard-shape rice cakes.

Suzhou is known as "the land of fish and rice" and Suzhou-style pastries made with rice dominate the local pastry market, in contrast to other regions where wheat is the crop of choice.

Kernels and leaf lard cubes are the two main filling ingredients in Suzhou-style pastries. Chinese rose blossoms and osmanthus fragrance, commonly found in Suzhou, are routinely used by local pastry chefs to make the food look, smell and taste better.

From flat cakes, sticky rice cakes and crispy cakes to sugared cakes, the pastry can be seen in different forms throughout the year as festive seasons arrive. The tradition of selling freshly cooked pastries is very much alive in Suzhou.

The second season ofA Bite of China, broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV) in 2014, featured a pastry chef from Deyuelou 一 a 400-year-old restaurant in Suzhou 一 who presented his elaborate Suzhou-style pastries.

Double-Ninth Cakes (chongyanggao) are immaculately displayed at a pastry shop in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo/ en.visitsz.com]

Suzhou-style mooncake is one of the most favored pastry varieties in Suzhou. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Suzhou-style pastries in the shape of rabbits were featured on an episode of the popular show A Bite of China, broadcast on CCTV in 2014. They were made by a pastry chef from the centuries-old pastry shop Deyuelou on Guanqian Street in Suzhou. [Photo/ news.subaonet.com]