Zhenghe Dongping Xiaoge Dish 政和东平小胳

Where it comes from

Xiaoge has been a Dongping speciality since the Song dynasty, according to local reporting, and a dish that farmhouse New Year and wedding feasts cannot do without; the local saying is "no xiaoge, no banquet" (无小胳，不成席). One Dongping native recalls that it was once eaten only at festivals and weddings.

It is listed among the ten famous snacks of northern Fujian and Fujian's hundred famous snacks, and entered the municipal intangible cultural heritage list in 2018. The making technique, Dongping xiaoge making (东平小胳制作技艺), is on the seventh batch of Fujian provincial intangible cultural heritage. In December 2023 a Dongping xiaoge entered by Zhang Yijian's (张义建) workshop was named a "New Min Cuisine famous snack" (新闽菜名小吃) and is to be included in the New Min Cuisine recipe collection.

How it is made

Zhang Yijian learned to make xiaoge from his grandparents at 13 and took over his parents' xiaoge shop at 18. Friends have urged him to switch to a meat grinder, but he says the key steps must be done by hand to keep the texture that belongs to xiaoge.

Alongside the traditional version he has developed more than ten flavours: water chestnut makes it sweet, crisp and light, lotus seed makes it fresh and tender, and tea leaf gives it a clean fragrance.

Flavour and texture

Xiaoge is described as glossy golden in colour and clean, sweet and refreshing in the mouth. A poem written for Zhang's xiaoge by the Min cuisine master chef Tong Huixing (童辉星) praises its careful workmanship and coarse-grain flavour, and its salty-sweet taste made with little oil.