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A sweet bite of Gulangyu: Ye's Glutinous Rice Cake

chinadaily.com.cn| Updated: Oct 30, 2019

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Ye's Glutinous Rice Cake has a history of more than 100 years. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Glutinous rice cakes, Maci (麻糍) in Chinese, are a traditional Chinese holiday dessert, and the ones sold at Ye's Glutinous Rice Cake are the most famous snack on Xiamen's Gulangyu Island. The snack has a history of more than 100 years.

The handmade maci is made of glutinous rice flour with various fillings, including peanut powder, white sugar, and red bean paste. It is wrapped in a glutinous cake roll on a thin layer of black sesame powder. It is sweet but not greasy, soft but not sticky.

Ye's Glutinous Rice Cake is run by a family who has been making maci for generations and has become well-known in Xiamen and throughout the country. The maci has become a signature delicacy of Gulangyu Island, and was named a Chinese time-honored brand in 2011. It costs just one yuan, and thousands are sold every day.