Wandouhuang (Pea Cake)

Wandouhuang is a traditional old-Beijing sweet: yellow split peas cooked to a purée, sweetened and set into a pale-gold cake that melts on the tongue — cool, sweet and refreshing, once a summer treat enjoyed in both palace and street.

Said to have once been a Qing court confection before passing into popular hands, wandouhuang became a common springtime and summer sweet on streets and tea tables alike — equally at home high and low.

The peas are skinned, cooked soft, sieved and sweetened, then chilled until set and cut into squares; usually served cold, it is light and cooling — a tea snack or an after-meal sweet.

Its charm lies in being smooth, cool and gently sweet: a silky, grain-free texture that dissolves at once, the clean fragrance of the peas matched with a light sweetness — the most refreshing of court-style sweets in summer.