Eight-Treasure Rice

This festive dish, hugely popular in Shanghai and once believed to have been created there, was actually first made in northern China. A mixture of glutinous rice steamed with candied, dried, and preserved fruits, it was a holiday tradition throughout the north and in Beijing, and then spread to Shanghai, Suzhou, and Nanjing. Today, it is common throughout all of China. Historically, the eight treasures were some fruits, cubes of citron, lotus seeds, almonds, red dates, and red bean paste,