Corn Cakes 苞谷粑粑
Corn Cakes is featured among the local specialties of Hubei.
Corn Cakes (苞谷粑粑) are steamed triangles of ground corn mixed with glutinous rice and wrapped in leaves, a snack of the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (恩施土家族苗族自治州) in Hubei. In the Wuling Mountains (武陵山区) corn is commonly called baogu (包谷), the first word of the name. China National Radio describes the version from Xuan'en County (宣恩县) as known both inside and outside Hubei, and as the taste of mother's cooking in the childhood memories of generations of Tujia children.
How it is made
The main ingredients are corn, glutinous rice, soybeans and white sugar. Qin Hong (覃红), a Xuan'en maker profiled by China National Radio, uses only young corn, and in winter brings in waxy corn from elsewhere because waxy corn makes a more glutinous cake. Corn and soybeans are soaked, for one to two hours if young and for a long time in cold water if old, then ground together into a slurry. Washed glutinous rice and sugar are stirred in; her mix is three-fifths corn to two-fifths glutinous rice.
Broad, thick zongzi leaves (粽叶) are folded into a funnel, filled by the spoonful and closed into an even triangle, then set in the steamer one after another. Each steamer basket takes about an hour over a strong fire; without a strong fire the cakes do not come out soft. Qin first wrapped them in banana leaves, but those turned black overnight, so she switched to dried zongzi leaves, bought from a company in Hefeng (鹤峰) and soaked in hot water overnight before use.
Flavour and texture
Unwrapped, the cake is glossy and golden. It is soft and glutinous without being sticky, a texture China National Radio sets apart from rice ciba (糍粑) and zongzi. The taste is lightly sweet, with the smell of corn and of the leaf wrapper.
How it is eaten
Corn Cakes are eaten hot from the steamer or reheated later, in a microwave or in the rice cooker while rice is cooking. They can also be toasted over charcoal or an electric stove, and are said to taste best once both sides have formed a deep-yellow crust. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism lists them among the foods visitors can try in Xuan'en County, alongside grilled fish and pomelo wine. The same ministry route page names the Xuan'en corn-cake making technique (宣恩包谷粑制作技艺) among the intangible-heritage food skills it features.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-24. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.