At the table
Remove every string and leaf, then cut or pinch off small bites and dip in sugar if desired.
Leaves and strings are not edible. The sticky rice needs thorough chewing; confirm any hidden filling or added fat.
Some versions use filtered plant-ash water; bean or meat fillings belong to other versions. Sugar is served separately.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Some versions use filtered plant-ash water; bean or meat fillings belong to other versions. Sugar is served separately.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Mild rice and leaf fragrance, with a distinctive alkaline note; sugar adds sweetness.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Soft, cohesive, sticky and slightly springy.
- How it’s made
- Glutinous rice is soaked, treated with food-grade cooking alkali, wrapped in bamboo leaves and boiled until tender. This version has no filling.
Some versions use filtered plant-ash water; bean or meat fillings belong to other versions. Sugar is served separately.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Hunan.
About this regional connection
Hunan: A familiar Hunan unfilled zongzi style; alkaline zongzi are also made elsewhere.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有碱水粽吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A simple Dragon Boat Festival parcel
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
In Hunan, plain yellow alkaline zongzi are part of Dragon Boat Festival food traditions. Unwrapping the leaves and dipping the rice in white sugar is a familiar way to eat them.