A fried dough twist maker surnamed Yang in Hai'an kneads dough. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Sanzi, or fried dough twist, is a popular snack in Hai'an, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province.

The history of the snack can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

Yang rubs the kneaded dough into strips. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

To commemorate the then renowned official Jie Zitui, people were prohibited from using fire for three days, a period called the Hanshi Festival, or Cold Food Festival. Therefore, they made some deep-fried circular wheaten food, which were later called sanzi, as a festival dish.

Yang fries the coiled strips. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

Although people now can use fire during Hanshi Festival, fried dough twist is still favored by Hai'an natives. Considered a tonic food, fried dough twist also used to be sent as a gift to a family celebrating the birth of a baby.

Yang carries the freshly-made fried dough twist. [Photo/WeChat account: hafbwx]

It seems easy to make the snack; however, from making fire to kneading the dough, and from rubbing the dough into strips to coiling up the strips requires a pair of dexterous hands.

Timing is quite important in frying the coiled strips. When the oil has slowly been heated from warm to hot, the coiled strips are put into the oil until they become golden yellow.