Guan chang, or filled sausage, has been a popular snack in Beijing since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Traditionally, the sausage, a prepared pork intestine, is stuffed with a paste of flour or starch mixed with spices. The sausage is then boiled and cut into cubes or slices to be fried. In some restaurants, minced pork is also used as stuffing. Little bamboo sticks, instead of chopsticks, are the traditional way of eating the filled sausages.