There is an old saying that "every household has a stove, and the streets and alleys are wrapped in steamed incense", and every time on the eve of the Spring Festival, the streets and alleys of Duancheng will emit a strong fragrance of citrus leaves.
Because at this time, every family is making this traditional flavor. In Guangdong, when it comes to rice dumplings, many people will think of Zhaoqing wrapped steamed dumplings, but the locals call it wrapped steaming, not steamed dumplings.
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So what's the difference between steaming and other rice dumplings?
First of all, the shape is different, and the shape of the steaming is pyramid-shaped; Secondly, the materials used for the wrapping are different, zongzi are generally wrapped with mango leaves, bamboo leaves, and reed leaves, while the wrapping steaming is wrapped with more locally grown citrus leaves;
In addition, the origin is different, steaming begins in the Pearl River Basin, while Zongzi starts in the Yangtze River Basin;
Finally, the meaning is different, as a traditional snack of the Spring Festival, wrapping steaming means that the fruits of the coming year are full and life is thriving, while the Dragon Boat Dumplings are to commemorate Qu Yuan, or to pray for merit.
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It is impossible to know when wrapping steaming arose, but there are several theories according to legend. First, during the Qin Dynasty, when the Qin Emperor unified the conquest of Lingnan, the garrison carried leaf wrapped food so that it could be eaten at any time during the march; second, during the Qin and Han Dynasties, farmers cultivated in the fields and carried it with them with leaves and rice, so that they could fill their hunger when they worked;
It is also said that when Bao Zheng was transferred to the capital in Duancheng, the local people used wrapped food made of glutinous rice, pork, and mung beans for Bao Zheng to carry on the road to eat.
Before the Spring Festival, a large round bucket will be set up in front of every household, and under the bucket is a temporary brick stove, and the brick stove is lit with a dazzling flame, which is the flame of the New Year, and the red flame shines on every household, and the local people are boiling and steaming.
Parcel steaming used to be a test for locals to test whether a new wife is skillful, because there are many packaging processes that require care and patience to complete.
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Speaking of wrapping steaming, we must talk about the leaves that wrap it - citrus leaves, which are the perfect match for wrapping and steaming, because its leaves are large and tough, the smell is fragrant, it is extremely rich in chlorophyll, and it has the effect of detoxification and bacteriostatic.
Lingnan climate is humid and hot, food is easy to rot, wrapped with citrus leaves can extend the storage time to achieve the role of preservation.
Traditional steamed fillings include glutinous rice, mung beans, and spiced floral belly. The locals choose the glutinous rice produced that year, the mung beans must be shelled, and the belly meat is very exquisite, not too thin nor too fat, must be fat and thin the most suitable, and then use spices and rice wine to marinate the meat.
When making, the hot-washed leaves are placed in the steaming mold, and then the glutinous rice, mung beans, spices, and brisket are added in layers according to the ratio of 10:6:4, and then bundled with water plants into a tight field grid, and a delicate and fruitful steaming is born.
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Another key process to make the boiled steaming taste more sweet is to pour into the Dinghu Mountain Spring that nourishes the land for steaming.
A soft glutinous flavor extreme steaming requires steaming for more than eight hours.
When eating, untie the tianzi grid from the back of the steaming, and then use chopsticks to mix the steaming, so that the mung beans, glutinous rice, and belly meat are fully mixed, and then sprinkled with sesame coriander and a little sesame oil, at this time you can achieve a loose, smooth and sweet taste.
Wrapping steaming has become an indispensable traditional flavor of the Spring Festival of Zhaoqing people in Guangdong, which contains the pursuit of a better life of Zhaoqing people and the longing of the wanderers for their hometown.
It is this kind of steaming made with temperature that adds a bright color to lingnan culture.