Beijing’s Xiaowuotou

Beijing’s Beihai Park has a sweet snack called “Xiaowuotou,” which is made from fine flour processed from soybeans and corn and steamed with sugar and cinnamon. It is made of soybeans, corn processed into fine flour, and then sugar and cinnamon steamed into the beauty of the point. Characterized by its pointed bottom, round, small and exquisite, looks like a golden “small pagoda”; it has a sweet taste and is delicate and moist. Therefore, all the people who patronize imitation food restaurants taste the popular small head for pleasure.

How did the Xiaowuotou become Beijing’s imitation food’s famous point? There is a legend related to the escape of Empress Dowager Cixi. 1990, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, and despite the resistance of the Boxer Rebellion and the people and army of Beijing, Beijing was captured due to the corruption and incompetence of the Qing Dynasty government. Empress Dowager Cixi took Emperor Guangxu and a group of palace maids, eunuchs and guards to disguise themselves as fleeing people in the quiet of the night, got into three broken carts to blend out of the Forbidden City, and fled to Xi’an in a hurry. Fleeing in a hurry, too late to bring enough food, and chaos, Empress Dowager Cixi and her entourage did not dare to reveal their identities, could not get the local officials of the service and protection, all the way to the wind, starvation is intolerable. When traveling to the front of the village after not store place, deserted, it is more difficult to find something to eat, and Empress Dowager Cixi must eat something, which can be difficult to accompany the eunuch. At this time, there is a named Guan Shili’s entourage; the body still has cornmeal from the folk to come to the Xiaowuotou, and they pull out and offer to the Empress Dowager Cixi. As the saying goes: “Full drink honey is not sweet, hungry eat chaff sweet as honey,” usually used to eating exotic delicacies of the Empress Dowager Cixi at this time will also be this shoddy and unbearable Xiaowuotou eat a lot of flavors, feel sweet.
Soon after the humiliation of the “Xinjiao Treaty” was signed, the Eight-Power Allied Forces withdrew from Beijing, and Empress Dowager Cixi returned to Beijing. It is said that the attendant Guan Shili, because of the food offering merit, was also named “lead the way, marquis.” Once the Empress Dowager Cixi remembered the meal’s “fragrant and sweet” food, they ordered the Imperial Household Catering to do the Xiaowuotou to eat. This can make the chef of the Royal Meal Room made it difficult; the Xiaowuotou is a common folk food, and the generally rich people only eat fine rice and flour, this cornmeal Xiaowuotou and do not ask for, not to mention the deep living in the Palace of the Empress Dowager Cixi. But the cooks know that her temperament is violent and perverse, how dare they disobey the will. So, in accordance with the style of the big head, add some soybean meal, a lot of sugar, and cinnamon, and carefully make a small head, fluffy and sweet. Empress Dowager Cixi really likes to eat. Since then, the small head will become Empress Dowager Cixi’s recipe for a dessert. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the small dumplings and other Qing Palace dishes, as well as spread to the people, and became Beijing’s famous flavor snacks.