Jiucai hezi ( "chive box"), also called chive pockets, are a type of savory pie originating from Shandong, China. They are made of garlic chives and eggs in a flour wrapper, then pan fried or baked. Jiucai hezi are traditionally eaten to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
The dough is made from flour and water, with leavened and unleavened varieties. The stuffing typically includes chopped garlic chives, scrambled eggs, sauteed mini-shrimp and glass noodles. Mushrooms and wood ear fungus are sometimes included. There is also a variety with minced meat as stuffing. The stuffing will be put in the middle of a flat dough, and then folded into half-moon shape. The finished turnover is usually pan-fried instead of baked in the oven like a turnover, and is served with black rice vinegar and sesame oil mixture as dip.
On February 14, 2022, during the second qualifying round of the freestyle skiing women's slopestyle event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, skier Eileen Gu was seen munching on a Chinese chive pocket (jiÃÂcài hézi) from a plastic bag while awaiting her score. In a later interview, Gu confirmed that the pastry was indeed a chive pocket. The moment went viral across China. According to Meituan data, online searches for "jiucai hezi" surged by over 161% in the week following Gu's mention, with takeaway orders exceeding 1.6 million â a 93% year-on-year increase. Furthermore, China Food Press reported that the post-Olympics surge in chive pocket sales reflected this viral trend, with searches and orders spiking noticeably.