Beijing’s traditional food varies according to the different seasons. With light and cold flavors, food that is easy to digest and can provide sufficient nutrition is the most popular during the hot summer.

Here are some summer foods most liked by Beijing men.

Bean jelly (Liang Fen), is made from mung bean flour, served with sauce, vinegar, garlic, sliced carrot, sesame paste and red pepper oil. It tastes cold and smooth in the mouth and the spicy flavor can stimulate the appetite on summer days.

Buckwheat cake (Ba Gao), served cold with sweet sauce, is usually offered at boothes together with bean jelly. Buckwheat contains vitamins, amino acid, fatty acid, linoleic acid and minerals which is a nutritional food for patients suffering heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Bean paste cake (Liang Gao) is made of glutinous rice and bean paste and is served cold in summer. When it is sold, the seller usually pats it into a flat figure and decorates edible green and red slices on the surface, and then slices up it with knife and sprinkles sugar on it. The sweet and glutinous flavor makes it a good choice for refreshment.