As Dragon Boat Festival approaches, the air in Yaokou village, Fuyang district of Hangzhou fills with the rich scent of zongzi— plus a hint of straw ash.

Zongzi is a traditional Chinese delicacy made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. The legendary gray water zongzi in Huyuan township is a delicacy with over 300 years of history. Villagers burn clean straw to make ash, filter it into gray lye, and soak glutinous rice in it to create this local treasure.