In Nanhai Foshan, there has been a taste imprinted in people’s mind. The longer time passed, the more it stands as a classic.

Xiqiao Big Cake, which could date back to over 500 years ago, is well known in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao and is known as one of the "four famous cakes in Guangdong". In 2015, Xiqiao Big Cake making skill was also included in the list of Foshan Intangible Cultural Heritages.

The Xiqiao Big Cake got its name because it was made with the spring of Xiqiao Mountain. An original Xiqiao Big Cake should be large enough, usually with the diameter of 18-22cm; The weight should also be sufficient, and each can have half a kilo weight. With white and slightly yellow color, Xiqiao Big Cake tastes soft and sweet and has a melt-in-the-mouth texture.

At the beginning, as the dry food for mountaineering tourists, Xiqiao Big Cake got considerable repute with its fresh and sweet taste. A hundred years later, Xiqiao Big Cake is widely known and becomes one of the top ten must-have souvenirs for tourists.

The Xiqiao Big Cake carries the cultural tradition of the local people. It conveys auspicious messages of sweetness and family reunion, so it’s served as a gift in festive occasions such as wedding festival, visiting relatives, Spring Festival, etc.

With wheat-flour, white sugar, eggs, alkaline water, pork fat, peanut oil and yeast as the main raw materials, after a series of processes like modulation, fermentation, baking, cooling, packaging, a delicious Xiqiao Big Cake can finally come out of the oven.

Xiqiao Big Cake first came from a "time-honored brand" -- Tianyuan Bakery in Guanshan area, Nanhai. It has been passed down from generation to generation in Chen's family cake industry. Chen Shaozhao, as the sixth inheritor of Xiqiao Big Cake, introduced that in terms of making skills, fermentation is a key process. Using old dough as the "yeast", and each yeast retains a part as the raw material for the next fermentation.

Chen's family has been committed to making the best Xiqiao Big Cake with making skills handed down from generation to generation and carrying forward the inheritance spirit and craftsman spirit.

Author | Eleanor

Revisor | Jessica, Ivy

Photo | Foshan News Network, Zhong Zihong, Zhang Chen

Source: Foshan China