Osmanthus cakes, which are made from glutinous rice flour, sugar, and osmanthus honey, are believed to be first made over three hundred years ago.

　　Legend has it that in the Ming Dynasty there was a vendor named Liu Jixiang living in Xindu County. Inspired by the fragrance of the osmanthus trees surrounding a nearby scholar's study room, he decided to create an osmanthus cake. Having collected the fresh osmanthus, he squeezed out the bitter water, dipped the flowers in honey and sugar, and mixed them with steamed rice flour, glutinous rice flour, boiled cooking oil, and cooked sugar. He sold them in boxes and named them "osmanthus cakes." During the past three hundred years, the process for making osmanthus cake has changed, each time for the better. Today, osmanthus cakes are white, sweet, and refreshing, and they give off a strong osmanthus fragrance.

　　In Wuhan, osmanthus cakes produced by the old and famous shop "Wufangzhai" (五芳斋) are extremely popular.