Guilin Chestnut Zongzi

Guilin Chestnut Zongzi is a classic delicacy during the Dragon Boat Festival, combining chestnuts from the banks of the Lijiang River with glutinous rice, exuding a strong rural aroma. To make it, plump local chestnuts are boiled, peeled, and mixed with soaked glutinous rice and diced fatty-slimy cured meat, seasoned with a little light soy sauce. Wide bamboo leaves (usually indocalamus leaves) are folded into a funnel shape, filled with glutinous rice, chestnuts, and cured meat, compacted layer by layer, tied into a pyramid shape with cotton thread, and boiled for 3-4 hours. When peeled, the zongzi reveals shiny, sticky glutinous rice, soft and sweet chestnuts, and cured meat's saltiness permeating every grain—their combination is perfect. Guilin's chestnuts, grown in karst mountains, have firm flesh and high sweetness, adding a touch of mountain sweetness to the zongzi. Whether homemade or sold on the street, chestnut zongzi is a "highlight" on Guilin people's Dragon Boat Festival table. Foreigners trying it for the first time will be impressed by the glutinous rice's softness, chestnuts' sweetness, and cured meat's saltiness, finding this leaf-wrapped food full of ritual. It pairs well with a cup of hot tea to savor its rich layers.