Jie Zitui, a famous official of State Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period, was said to be born in Peijie, a village of Xiaxian County. This celebrity is associated with the origin of the roasted Zaodanmo.
Legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord's life by serving a piece of his own leg. When the lord succeeded in becoming the ruler of a small principality, he invited his faithful follower to join him. However, Jie declined his invitation, preferring having a hermit's life with his mother in the mountains. Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire. To his consternation, Jie chose to remain in the mountain and was burnt to death. To commemorate Jie, the lord ordered all fires in every home to be put out on the anniversary of Jie's death. Thus began the "cold food feast", a day when no food could be cooked since no fire could be lit. In order to commemorate Jie Zitui, local villagers made a special food. Because Jie Zitui was burned to death, they threw the steamed bread into the fire to bake, and then used it for sacrifice. However, they found that the food was not delicious, so they added stuffing in it. This kind of food is called Zaodanmo, which was only made, sacrificed and eaten before and after the Qingming festival, and gradually developed as the current Xiaxian Zaodanmo.
