[Video provided by Xu Congjun for en.nantong.gov.cn]

Lengzheng, or steamed green wheat, is a popular seasonal snack in Nantong that is only available for about 15 days every year.

Freshly-made steamed green wheat. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

The snack is made from plump fruit that grows on wheat after the Qingming Festival.

After the green wheat is unshelled, it is stir-fried in an iron pot on a slow fire and then ground into grits with a stone mill. The wheat has a strong fragrance and soft but chewy taste.

A woman sells her homemade steamed green wheat beside a street. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

The easiest way to eat the snack is to enjoy it directly with sugar. Steamed green wheat is also commonly stir-fried with Chinese chives and pagoda tree flowers. Alternatively, it can be used to cook porridge and rice or made into cakes with glutinous rice and sesame.

Steamed green wheat balls with a plate of sugar. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

Steamed green wheat is believed by traditional Chinese medicine doctors to strengthen muscles and bones, remove moisture from the body, and relieve diarrhea.