Sweet and savory: Zongzi beyond your expectation (2)

The oldest – Xi'an zongzi

Xi'an cold honey zongzi. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

The "cold honey" zongzi has the longest history in the central Chinese city of Xi'an. This type of zongzi originated in the Tang Dynasty (618–907) according to ancient records, in which it is described as a food with a gorgeous jade-like appearance.

Made with cool glutinous rice, cold honey zongzi without fillings is a perfect choice during the sweltering summer as well as for dessert. Sliced into thin pieces and served on a plate, the delicate, carb-loaded dish will greatly delight your taste buds when eaten with honey or osmanthus fragrant syrup.

The largest – Nanning zongzi

Nanning zongzi. [Photo/VCG]

Stuffed with fat and lean pork and peeled mung beans, each Nanning zongzi mostly weighs about one kilogram. It also called "pillow zong" due to its huge size and the middle part with fillings slightly higher than two sides.

Also in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, people once made the largest zongzi containing 50-kilogram glutinous rice mixed with soybean sauce and roast pork, which can be eaten by a three-person family for two months.

The smallest – Shanghai zongzi

Shanghai mini zongzi. [Photo/CGTN]

The smallest one sold at the City God Temple of Shanghai measures four centimeters long with ham as its filling and fits quite comfortably in the mouth. Some prefer to enjoy it with a cup of Chinese tea.

Some restaurants in Shanghai serve tiny zongzi barely larger than a person's finger. Fifty grams of glutinous rice and four little cubes of ham are wrapped up into a batch of four cute zongzi.