The Cold Food Festival, also known as "No-smoking Festival" and "Cold Festival", falls on the 105th day after the Winter Solstice, one or two days before the Qingming Festival. One of the key traditions of this festival is to ban the use of fire, meaning that it is not allowed to cook with fire, and only cold food is allowed—hence the name. Among the cold dishes, the "Thirteen Cold Foods" best represent Beijing's traditional tastes. The Cold Food Festival has lasted for more than 2,000 years and is the only traditional festival of the Han ethnic group named after an eating custom.

Luosizhuan is a traditional pastry of Beijing. The outer layer is made of spiral-shaped dough, crisp to the touch. In the old days, snack shops used to dry the leftover luosizhuan over a low fire and sell them the next day. The dried cake is called "Ganbeng'er" (Dried Spiral Cake).

Features: sweet and crispy

Naiyou Zhagao is a nutritious snack in Beijing. Its cooking method is rather meticulous. Sesame oil works the best, and timing is everything.

Features: round, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, rich in flavor, and easy to digest

Yingmian Bobo was one of the common nighttime pastries in Beijing in the past. This snack can hardly be found nowadays due to the decreasing number of street food stalls selling it.

Features: chewy and sweet

Majiang Shaobing (sesame paste cake) is one of the special snacks in northern China and is very common in Beijing. There are many ways to make this cake.

Features: crispy, well-layered and soft

Saqima, a kind of Manchu food, was one of the offerings for the three mausoleums outside Shanhai Pass in the Qing Dynasty. Small pieces of fried dough sticks mixed with sugar are called Saqima. 

Features: beige, crispy and sweet

Lvdagun is one of the ancient snacks in Beijing. It's a long roll of yellow rice dough with a filling inside. When eating, the rice roll is rolled on soybean flour, which looks like a donkey rolling on the ground.

Features: sweet and tender

Aiwowo, a traditional Beijing snack made of glutinous rice, dates back to the Wanli period (1573–1620) of the Ming Dynasty. It's believed that aiwowo can nourish vital energy, spleen, and stomach.

Features: white, spherical, sticky and sweet

Tang'erduo, one of the most popular snacks in Beijing, is named for its ear-like shape. This is suitable for autumn, winter, and spring, as the syrup can easily melt during hot summer days.

Features: glossy brown, soft and sweet

Tanghuoshao (baked sweet cake) is a breakfast snack commonly eaten in Beijing. It has a history of more than 300 years. It was originally a snack in Hebei Province and was then introduced to Beijing. It is baked directly on the wall of an urn, hence the name.

Features: sweet and crispy

Jiangsi Paicha got its name for its taste of fresh ginger. It is a traditional tea snack in Beijing, and is believed to have the capacity to detoxify, nourish the spleen and stomach and enhance appetite.

Features: ginger flavor, crispy and sweet

Sanzi Mahua is a popular snack in Beijing. It has been one of the must-have foods for the Cold Food Festival since the Qin and Han dynasties.

Features: brownish yellow, super crunchy and sweet

Jiaoquan (fried ring) is a local specialty in Beijing. It is bowl-sized and shaped like a doughnut. It is still crispy and delicious after about half a month in storage. Jiaoquan is often served with Douzhi (fermented bean milk), a local drink in Beijing. Features: dark yellow and crispy

Wandouhuang (Pea Flour Cake) is a traditional snack in Beijing. Traditionally, people in Beijing have this on the 3rd day of the 3rd month of the traditional Chinese calendar. 

Features: pale yellow, delicate, pure, easy to melt, sweet, cool and refreshing

(Source: Bj.wenming.cn)