Wendeng Huabobo steams with good wishes for new year
Huabobo, a type of steamed bun, is a unique traditional food that is eaten on special occasions such as sacrificial rituals, celebrations and traditional festivals, weddings and birthdays in Jiaodong area in Eastern Shandong.
Huabobo, literally means flour flower, and refers to flower-shaped steamed buns. It is made of wheat flour, and the various vegetables and fruit juices add different colors to the buns. Huabobo is made into different shapes such as dragons, phoenix fish, which represent positive meanings, and look good and taste delicious.
The craft of making Huabobo has a history that dates back more than 300 years, and was listed as a Shandong provincial intangible cultural heritage in 2009. Wendeng Huabobo is the most famous across the country, and after years of development, it has developed into a pillar industry in Wendeng district, Weihai, a city in Shandong province. Statistics show that there are more than 200 households that are involved in the Huabobo business in Wendeng, which accumulates an annual output value of over 300 million yuan ($47.17 million).