Why Does Huzhou Produce China's Ultimate Summer Carbs?

The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, another day of the year when there's a legitimate excuse to indulge in a glorious mix of fats and carbs!

As one of the most important foods for Chinese people throughout the year, zongzi is also the product that Local Flavors & Treasures pours the most effort into annually.

This effort lies in the repeated adjustments to the flavors. In recent years, novel zongzi flavors have emerged endlessly, but upon tasting, most are more about gimmicks than taste. So, after much deliberation, we decided to return zongzi to its essence—deliciousness. We partnered with a century-old factory in Zhejiang to handcraft Huzhou pillow-shaped zongzi, offering only sweet and savory styles. Simple yet incredibly tasty.

130g*2 Classic Sweet Red Bean Paste Zongzi

130g*2 Black Sesame & Walnut Zongzi

170g*2 Soy-Braised Black Pork Zongzi

200g*2 Soy-Braised Black Pork Zongzi with Double Salted Egg Yolks

200g*2 Soy-Braised Black Pork Belly Zongzi

Though classic in flavor, every bite is anything but simple. Just for the glutinous rice, we used two varieties: Taihu round glutinous rice and Northeast round glutinous rice. We also sourced "Dahongpao" red beans from Nantong and the same black pork used by the official supplier of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. From balancing sweetness and saltiness to selecting every ingredient, we experimented repeatedly to create zongzi that’s delicious but not greasy, traditional yet surpassing tradition.

During the final round of taste tests, colleagues at Local Flavors & Treasures unanimously agreed:

"This tastes just like the zongzi I had while traveling in Zhejiang! Finally found it again!"

"The red bean paste in this one reminds me of my grandma’s—and there’s so much of it!"

Beyond ingredient selection, another secret to the deliciousness of Local Flavors & Treasures zongzi is advanced short-shelf-life technology. Compared to zongzi with a shelf life of 30 days or even over a year, our 21-day short-shelf-life zongzi maintains freshness while delivering a taste almost indistinguishable from freshly made ones.

Due to the short shelf life, we’ve also launched a special offer to ensure everyone enjoys fresher zongzi on the day of the festival. A box of handmade fresh zongzi, originally priced at 169 yuan, is now available for a limited-time trial price of 119 yuan.

The gift box design is inspired by Jiangnan bamboo weaving, with a waistband featuring images of zongzi leaves, embodying the elegance and refinement of Eastern aesthetics—perfect for gifting and aligned with current Chinese-style trends. While keeping the box dignified and presentable, we trimmed unnecessary and extravagant decorations, redirecting the savings to the zongzi itself, letting the flavor shine.

What’s the secret to delicious zongzi? The glutinous rice? The filling? The ratio?

In developing this zongzi product, we realized that, like many delicacies, freshness is a crucial factor.

So, for shelf life and packaging, we innovatively opted for 21-day short-shelf-life freshness-locked zongzi. Simply put, these zongzi have a shelf life of only 21 days. Though shorter, the flavor is fresher, with each steamed zongzi tasting as if it just came out of the pot.

For instance, during blind taste tests, we could clearly tell that Local Flavors & Treasures’ 21-day freshness-locked zongzi outperformed in many aspects.

The biggest difference is texture. Fresh zongzi retains more moisture during processing, so whether it’s the chewiness of the glutinous rice or the tenderness of the meat, everything tastes fresher. This softness is even palpable—even vacuum-packed, fresh zongzi feels soft to the touch.

Another dimension is the aroma of fresh zongzi. Due to its unique processing technique, fresh zongzi almost entirely preserves the fragrance of glutinous rice and bamboo leaves, especially the fresh scent of the leaves. When steam rises from the pot, the refreshing aroma of bamboo leaves fills the room. Compared to other zongzi, this fragrance alone—even without tasting—makes the difference evident.

The 21-day freshness-locking technology is the first major premise behind the deliciousness of Didiao Fengwu’s Dragon Boat Festival zongzi, while another secret to its flavor lies in the traditional Huzhou pillow-shaped zongzi technique.

Jiangnan has always been a land of abundant produce, and with centuries of tradition in "Jiahu Fine Pastries," Huzhou people naturally craft zongzi with the same precision. Jin Yong once praised Huzhou zongzi in *The Deer and the Cauldron*: "The zongzi from Huzhou, Zhejiang, with their soft rice and exquisite fillings, are unparalleled in the world." *The Return of the Condor Heroes* also described them: "The sweet ones are filled with lard and red bean paste, the savory ones with ham and fresh pork—truly incomparably delicious."

For Huzhou locals, these delicious zongzi are not just a seasonal treat for the Dragon Boat Festival but a snack available year-round on street corners. Especially in the morning, starting the day with a pillow-shaped zongzi is a delicious daily routine for Jiangnan people. Another unique feature of Huzhou zongzi is their pillow-like shape—long and slender with four corners. Unlike traditional triangular zongzi, where the filling is concentrated in the center, the pillow-shaped zongzi has fillings distributed evenly from top to bottom. This ensures even cooking, prevents undercooked spots, and guarantees that every bite is packed with flavor!

For the Didiao Fengwu 2024 Handmade Fresh Zongzi Gift Box, we’ve selected five flavors—two sweet and three savory—to cater to the preferences of the whole family.

For the sweet zongzi, we chose two classic varieties: red bean paste zongzi and black sesame walnut zongzi. During flavor testing, we reduced the sugar content to avoid excessive sweetness, allowing the natural aroma of glutinous rice to shine.

The classic red bean paste zongzi uses round glutinous rice from Taihu Lake, which gives the zongzi a sticky, chewy texture and a translucent appearance. The red bean paste is made from Jiangsu Nantong’s "Big Red Robe" adzuki beans, processed through 12 traditional steps to achieve a fine, sand-like texture.

For different zongzi flavors, we also matched glutinous rice from different regions. For example, the black sesame walnut zongzi uses softer and stickier Northeast glutinous rice. We also increased the filling ratio—black sesame paste and walnut kernels make up over 40% of the filling, delivering a rich, sweet, and nutritious taste without being cloying.

The joy of savory zongzi comes from the meat!

For savory meat zongzi, we adhere to one principle: more meat, more flavor!

For the three savory varieties, we use the same black pork supplied for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. The black pigs are raised on grains for 300 days, resulting in exceptionally fragrant meat. Notably, black pigs are a native Chinese breed, offering a more original and pure pork aroma compared to white pigs.

The pork is marinated with a secret soy sauce blend from the century-old brand "Lao Henghe," using a low-temperature slow-curing process to ensure even seasoning and tender, juicy meat.

Building on the marinated pork, we selected three fillings: black pork hind leg, black pork belly, and black pork hind leg with salted egg yolk. The hind leg meat is cut against the grain into 8cm-long strips, lean yet succulent. The pork belly has a balanced fat-to-lean ratio, with tender, chewy lean meat and meltingly soft fat when heated, infusing every grain of rice with rich, savory oil.

The double-yolk black pork zongzi features hind leg meat paired with two salted egg yolks cured in traditional grass-ash and yellow mud, yielding a rich, oily, and sandy texture with complex layers of flavor.

To deliver this eagerly anticipated delicacy, we put as much care into the gift box design as we did into the zongzi. The packaging draws inspiration from the bamboo charm of Jiangnan’s water towns—verdant bamboo veiled in mist, deep affection carried in the scent of zongzi leaves. Delicate woven patterns cradle dreams, while golden ribbons accentuate heartfelt sentiments. Each box carries the freshness of nature and the culinary traditions of the festival.

Due to the short shelf life, we’ve also launched a special offer to ensure everyone enjoys the freshest zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival day. Originally priced at 169 yuan, the handmade fresh zongzi gift box is now available at a limited-time promotional price of 119 yuan.

130g x 2 Classic Red Bean Paste Zongzi

130g x 2 Black Sesame Walnut Zongzi

170g x 2 Soy-Braised Black Pork Zongzi

200g x 2 Soy-Braised Black Pork Zongzi with Double Yolk

200g*2 Sauce-Flavored Black Pork Belly Zongzi

Photography | YIRAN

Some images in this article are provided by suppliers