Nowadays, there are many shops selling pastries on the market, and a number of "net red shops" have emerged. As new dim sums such as egg yolk crisp, mochi, Daifuku, and puffs fill the list of afternoon teas for young people, traditional old-fashioned dim sum has gradually faded from people's sight. Although some internet celebrity shops have the slogan of "tradition", they are actually very different from the old taste.
Suzhou has always attached importance to cake dumplings and dim sum, and Suzhou-style pastries also occupy an important position in the history of the development of traditional Chinese pastries. According to relevant historical materials, Su-style pastries sprouted in the Spring and Autumn Period, originated in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, formed in the Two Song Dynasties, and developed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Generations of troublemakers, while praising the beautiful scenery of Gusu, also praised the exquisite and delicious Su-style pastries. Famous writers and poets such as Bai Juyi, Du Fu, Su Dongpo, and Lu You all had special feelings for Su-style pastries.
Seasons are king
According to incomplete statistics, the Ming and Qing dynasties of the Su-style pastry are divided into seven categories, such as furnace goods, oil noodles, oil noodles, water woks, slice cakes, sugar goods, printing plates, etc., with more than 130 traditional varieties.
However, whenever we talk about Suzhou's cake dumplings, we can't avoid the characteristics of "not eating from time to time". Seasonality is a major feature of Su-style pastries. Su-style pastries have their seasonal varieties every four o'clock and eight festivals of the lunar calendar, and are known as the production and marketing rules of spring cakes, summer cakes, autumn crisps and winter sugar.
For example, the spring wine cake, listed on the fifth day of the first month of the first month, after March 20; the summer mint cake, listed on March 15, the end of June; Ruyi crisp, chrysanthemum crisp, the beginning of April should be marketed, august 20 after the market; and sugar rice cake, listed after the winter solstice, it is difficult to see after the Chinese New Year's Eve.
Natural regional flavor
Su-style pastries do not add flavors, etc., and the traditional practice is to pickle roses, osmanthus flowers, orange peels, etc., which are brightly colored and fragrant, and used as accessories to add color and fragrance.
This is due to the property resources of Suzhou, Wu County, a suburb of Suzhou, from ancient times to the present, planting a large number of roses, osmanthus and other edible fragrance-type flower materials. Therefore, there are more roses and osmanthus products added to The Su-style pastries.
We all know that Jiangnan water towns are rich in rice and wheat, especially rice. In the selection of grain raw materials, there are more varieties of rice as the main raw material in The selection of Su-style pastries, which are rich in the unique flavor of rice products. Such as pine nut yellow thousand cake, soft and thin, rich in pine nuts fragrant caramel flavor; rice maple cake, fermented with wine, white and soft, the taste is rich in bite.
Su-style pastries do not use synthetic pigments and synthetic spices, but according to the flavor and performance of the product, the corresponding nuts, pulp, peel, flower materials and other accessories are selected to add natural flavor and color.
Traditional Su-style pastries should look like this
Sock bottom crisp
The sock bottom crisp is said to be imitated according to the court refreshments of the Song Xiaozong, it is shaped like the bottom of the socks, the layers of oil crisp are as thin as cicada wings, the bite is fragrant and crispy, and there is sweet and salty in the mouth, and it has always been a traditional refreshment that people rush to taste in the Jiangnan area.
Crab shell yellow
This kind of dim sum such as crab shell yellow is somewhat ancient in the face of the increasing number of Internet celebrity delicacies, but old Suzhou still misses its taste. The crispy roast cake is named after the round yellow crab shell, which generally has two flavors, one is a sweet cake made of sugar, date paste or bean paste, and the other is a salty cake made of green onion oil or fresh meat.
Sake stuffed cake
Wine cakes are divided into meat and vegetarian, and the main varieties are rose, bean paste, mint and other flavors, of which rose filling has the best taste. It is best to eat hot, the rose filling is sweet, the mint filling is fresh and pleasant, and the pork filling is oily and crystalline, and the crust with a faint aroma of sake flavor will have a spring flavor in one bite.
Ink crisp
Suzhou ink crisp candy is very famous in history, there are a number of famous tea food candy stores produced and sold, such as Daoxiang Village, CaizhiZhai, Zhu Wanchang, Ye Shouhe, Dongwu Village, Yipinxiang and so on. The sweetness of the crisp sugar is just right, only to feel that the mouth is full of the aroma of sesame seeds, and after sipping in the mouth for a while, it becomes invisible.
Cloud cake
Cloud cake is named because of its white color, also known as "ice cream cake". Cloud cake, soft and cool, piece by piece like rice paper album, white with a few touches of red and green. Generally, it will be torn open and eaten one by one, and its taste is sweet and soft, twisting up and sipping, like snowflakes melting.
Plum blossom cake, begonia cake
Plum blossom cake and begonia cake are known as "flower cakes" and are the most traditional, classic and characteristic traditional snacks in Suzhou. Begonia cake is named after the shape of the cake that resembles a begonia flower. Freshly baked begonia cake, sprinkled with caramel on the surface, is brown in color and is particularly sweet to eat. It should also be decorated with five colors such as fruit shreds, melon seeds, and sesame seeds.
Unlike begonia cake, plum blossom cake is more fluffy and dense, one bites down like a cloud in the mouth, chewing sunflower seeds, red and green silk, kumquat, full of raw flavor.
Su-style mooncakes
Different from the general moon cake, the Su-style moon cake pays attention to the ingredients, the color is golden and greasy, the taste is crisp, and it is also divided into vegetarian filling and meat filling. However, one of the most favorite is the fresh meat mooncake, the outer skin is crisp and powdery, the filling inside is composed of full of fresh meat, fresh gravy also penetrates inside, and then mixed with the aroma of puff pastry, very delicious and delicious.
It's not far from the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I think there should be a long line at the entrance of the major stores, surrounded by a group of Suzhou people waiting to buy hot, fresh meat mooncakes!
"Don't eat too full, drink tea too strong."