Spring pancake facts for kids
Eating Spring pancakes on the day of Lichun in a restaurant
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| Type | Pancake |
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| Place of origin | China |
The spring pancake is a special traditional Chinese food. It comes from the northern parts of China. People eat spring pancakes on a day called Lichun. This day celebrates the start of spring.
Contents
A Taste of History
Spring pancakes have a long and interesting history. They first appeared during the Jin dynasty. They became very popular by the Tang dynasty.
Both ancient Chinese kings and everyday people valued the day of Lichun. Kings had big celebrations. Regular people celebrated by eating spring pancakes. They would wrap fresh vegetables and meat inside the pancakes. This tradition was called "bite-the-spring."
What "Bite-the-Spring" Means
"Bite-the-spring" was a way for people to hope for a good harvest. By eating fresh foods at the start of spring, they were wishing for lots of crops later in the year.
How Spring Pancakes Changed
By the Qing dynasty, spring pancakes had changed. They became fried pancakes with different fillings. These fillings could include ham, chicken, pork, and even sweet things. Some sweet fillings were black dates, scallions, walnuts, and sugar.
Spring pancakes were also a fancy dish. They were one of nine desserts served at royal banquets during the Qing dynasty.
Spring Pancakes and Spring Rolls
A spring pancake is a bit bigger than the pancake served with Peking duck. Over time, these wrapped and filled pancakes were often fried. When they were fried, they became what we now call spring rolls.
