Guang Pancake

Guang Pancake is a kind of snack made from flour and salt. It is round and has a small hole in the middle. It is a traditional snack in Fuzhou. Its origin can be traced back to Ming Dynasty.

A story goes that in 1562 in Ming Dynasty, the Japanese pirates launched a massive attack to Fujian Province. Qi Jiguang, a general of the time, was appointed by the emperor to wipe out the invaders. When Qi Army, the troop under Qi Jiguang’s control, marched to the south, they invented a kind of combat food, which could be strung together and hung on the shoulder. It was Guang Pancake. The food was easy to make and was not time-consuming. Finally, Qi Army defeated the Japanese pirates. And the locals named the food Guang Pancake and learned to make it to commemorate Qi Jiguang.

Gradually, it became a traditional snack in Fuzhou. The ancient Chinese students in Fuzhou often bought a lot of Guang pancakes and ate them on their way to the palace examination held in the capital. Later, how many  pancakes did one eat became a standard against which whether one was diligent in study was judged. Nowadays, modern people have added different fillings into the pancake. Its taste has been greatly improved. Although the time is changing, the locals still love Guang Pancake and are quite eager to tell others its legendary origin.