Lüdagun

Lüdagun (Simplified Chinese: 驴打滚; Traditional Chinese: 驢打滾; Pinyin: Lǘ dǎ gǔn; Beijing dialect lüdagunr; literally "rolling donkey"; also 豆面糕) is a traditional snack of Beijing with Manchu roots. Steamed glutinous dough is spread with sweet red bean paste, rolled into a spiral log, sliced, and coated generously in golden roasted soybean flour. The playful name compares the dusty yellow coating to the loess a donkey kicks up when rolling on the ground. Older descriptions mention yellow (proso) millet dough and brown-sugar fillings; modern versions usually use glutinous rice and red bean. A story that a eunuch surnamed Lü (a homophone of "donkey") dropped a sweet into soybean flour in front of Empress Dowager Cixi is a folk tale. Lüdagun is a sibling to other old-Beijing sweets such as Ai Wo Wo and Wandou Huang, but distinct from both.

Characteristics

Pinwheel cross-section of pale dough and dark bean paste; powdery, nutty soybean coating; soft, sticky chew; moderately sweet.

Ingredients (overview)

Glutinous rice flour (or traditional millet flour); sweet red bean paste; roasted soybean flour; sugar. Overview only.

History and culture

Recorded in Republican-era collections of Beijing folk food and snack verse; sold today by time-honored Beijing snack houses, temple fairs and tourist streets, often in the same boxes as Ai Wo Wo and Wandou Huang. English guides translate it as "rolling donkey" or "donkey rolling in the dust." Compare Ciba and Nian Gao for other glutinous-rice sweets.

Serving and variations

Sliced rounds on a plate or in snack boxes, eaten at room temperature with tea. See Ai Wo Wo, Wandou Huang, Tanghulu and Ciba.

See also

• Ai Wo Wo
• Wandou Huang
• Tanghulu
• Ciba
• Beijing Food
• List of dishes (A-Z)