There are strict rules for selecting ingredients and cooking.

Wheat and sesame must be grown locally. The sesame must be stir-fried and toasted a golden-brown.

The pastry chef puts a ball of well-kneaded dough onto a porcelain sheet, and rolls it out into a thin pancake, which is then covered with sesame and then baked on a stovetop.

"It only takes me several seconds to roll out the pancake. Usually I am able to make about 3,000 pieces a day," says Xue Guiyun, 40, who has worked in the factory for 15 years.

Zhoucun Shaobing Museum, a snack-themed museum where the history of the time-honored brand and the traditional way of making shaobing are documented. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The traditional craft of making shaobing in Zhoucun was listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008, the only one of its kind in Shandong province.

Currently, there are more than 400 skilled craftsmen producing a total of over 1,000 tons of shaobing each year. Apart from the sesame, shaobing also come in flavors ranging from the traditional sweet and salty, to spicy, creamy, seafood and vegetable flavors.

If you visit Zhoucun, you can also see the snack-themed museum where the history of the time-honored brand and the traditional way of making shaobing are documented.

The museum has become a hot tourist spot which attracts visitors from all over the world.