Doumen Mugwort Rice Cake

Doumen mugwort cake is a glutinous rice cake made by blending rice flour with fresh mugwort (ài cǎo). Green in color and fragrant with the herb, it is a seasonal snack of the Doumen area.

Making cakes with freshly picked mugwort around the Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping) season is a Lingnan custom. In rural Doumen, tender spring mugwort is gathered and worked into cakes as a seasonal food.

The cakes are steamed or pan-fried, often filled with sweet bean paste or a peanut-and-sesame mix. They are typically made at home and sold at markets around Qingming as a festival treat.

Its appeal lies in the herbal aroma of mugwort paired with chewy glutinous rice. The green hue and springtime character make it an emblem of Doumen's seasonal food culture.