Aiwowo

Traditionally prepared aiwowo

Aiwowo, industrially produced

Aiwowo ( Chinese 艾窩窩 / 艾窝窝 or 愛窩窩 / 爱窝窝 , àiwōwo - " drops of love ") is a traditional Chinese cold snack from Beijing cuisine . They are balls made from steamed sticky rice with a sweet filling.

preparation

Glutinous rice is washed and soaked in water for several hours to swell. The drained rice is cooked alternately in a steamer and in boiling water for a long time. After cooling, the rice is kneaded and divided into small balls, into which a recess is pressed for the filling. An alternative is to prepare it from millet .

For the filling, ground or chopped walnuts , sesame seeds , peeled melon kernels , green plums , hawthorn , Chinese dates or candied scented flowers can be used individually or mixed, mixed with boiling water and sugar. The rice balls are then rolled in sugar, rice flour or desiccated coconut. Finally, the balls are decorated with a drop of red hawthorn jelly.

history

Individually packaged industrially manufactured Aiwowo

Filled sticky rice balls have been known at the imperial court since the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368) and are originally a snack for the Hui people . During the subsequent Ming dynasty , they were a popular snack in court families and are mentioned in the Jin Ping Mei , among others . According to records from the chronicle Zhuozhongzhi ( 酌中志 , Zhuózhōngzhì ) by Liu Ruoyu ( 劉若愚 / 刘若愚 , Liú Ruòyú ), a eunuch at Wanli's court , these were called Buluojia in earlier times .

According to legend, the original name was Wowo ( 窩窩 / 窝窝 , wōwo ). An emperor is said to have asked for them with the words "Yu Ai Wowo" (for example, I want to Wowo ). When the sticky rice balls became available to the masses, the common people were not allowed to use the pronoun “Yu” (German I ), which was reserved for the emperor . It was omitted and Aiwowo became the common name.

Aiwowo used to be offered between the Spring Festival and the end of summer. Today they are also produced industrially and are available all year round.

Web links

Commons : Aiwowo - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Aiwowo. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013 ; accessed on June 1, 2012 (English).
Aiwowo (Steamed Rice Cakes with Sweet Stuffing). ChinaCulture.org, accessed June 1, 2012 .
Aiwowo: a traditional local snack in Beijing. In: Cultural China. Retrieved June 1, 2012 .
Aiwowo. Confucius Institute Online, accessed June 1, 2012 (video showing how Aiwowo is made).

Individual evidence

↑ Aiwowo. In: The Food Glossary. Retrieved June 1, 2012 .
^ Snacks of Beijing. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 25, 2013 ; Retrieved June 1, 2012 .
↑ Old Beijing. (No longer available online.) Beijing Hongluo food co., Archived from the original on January 13, 2012 ; accessed on June 1, 2012 (Chinese, Aiwowo offered by a Chinese manufacturer).

[1] Aiwowo. In: The Food Glossary. Retrieved June 1, 2012 .

[2] Snacks of Beijing. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 25, 2013 ; Retrieved June 1, 2012 .

[3] Old Beijing. (No longer available online.) Beijing Hongluo food co., Archived from the original on January 13, 2012 ; accessed on June 1, 2012 (Chinese, Aiwowo offered by a Chinese manufacturer).