Guo zi
Guo zi, also called eight samples of xuzhou, is a traditional Chinese sweet food including eight kinds of xiaochi and popular in the northern regions. It is usually eaten at festivals or ceremonies. The Guo zi is not one food, but a collection of eight food items: Mi san dao, Yang jiao mi, Tiao su, Ma pian, Hua sheng tang, Jin qian bing, Nuo mi tiao and Gui hua su tang. Every food item has its own source, name and production method. Most items in Guo zi occurred in Chinese northern regions and the Guo zi occurred in Xu zhou in final. People usually send Guo zi to families or friends in festival or ceremony as a symbol of blessing. Many people buy these items individually and the Guo zi, as a collection, is a symbol of festivals or ceremonies.
Mi san dao
Misandao is a Chinese traditional pastry made by honey. The name is relevant to its production method. Because the model should be cut three times on its surface to make it easy to absorb honey when it is fried, the food has three knife slits. Therefore, it is called misandao.History
The Mi san dao has a deep relation with Su Shi. Legend has it that in the son dynasty, Su Dongpo was the governor of Xuzhou. His friend invited him to evaluate a treasure knife. After drink, his friend gave Su Dongpo the knife to evaluate. He was very surprised as it was really a treasure knife. So, Su Dongpo took the sword and cut three knives on the green stone in the place they drank. As he bent over it, the stone had left three deep cuts.Then, the servant brought up the pastries, which contained a new kind of sweet pastry. This is made by his friend and, because Su Dongpo had a sweet tooth, his friend hoped Su Dongpo could give the sweet pastry a name. Su Dongpo tasted sweet as honey and very happy. Because of the three cuts on the stone and there are also three cuts on the food surface, Su Dongpo called the food "honey three knife".