Guilin Ciba

Guilin Ciba is a versatile food throughout the seasons, and it can always be seen in festival sacrifices and daily snacks. The process of making Ciba is full of ritual: superior glutinous rice is soaked overnight and then steamed, and then poured into a stone mortar and repeatedly pounded with a wooden pestle until the rice grains are completely integrated to form a flexible glutinous rice ball. At this time, Ciba can be either sweet or salty, depending on personal preference. Those who love sweetness will fry soybeans and peanuts and grind them into powder, add white sugar and mix well, then coat the Ciba with a layer of golden powder. Biting into it, the outer skin is slightly crispy, and the inside is soft and glutinous with a 拉丝 (lā sī, stretching) texture, with the fragrance of beans and rice blending in the mouth. Those who prefer saltiness will stir-fry minced meat, mushrooms, and chopped scallions with lard until fragrant, wrap them in Ciba and shape them into circles, and fry until the outer skin is slightly charred. Biting open, the oiliness of the savory filling and the stickiness of the glutinous rice set each other off, with rich layers. In the rural markets of Guilin, women can often be seen sitting on bamboo stools pounding Ciba on the spot. Foreign visitors are always attracted by this smoky scene when passing by and can't help but buy a piece to eat while it's hot, feeling the simplicity and warmth of traditional handmade food.