Pastry in Chinese style
Behind the long history, sweet and salty, pleasing to the eye
It contains cultural treasures that have lasted for thousands of years
Food is a window into culture
In the all-encompassing and competitive Chinese food culture
Traditional pastries are definitely one of the most distinctive
It is a delicacy that fills the stomach of the hungry
It is also the reason why tea is enjoyable, and the reason why wine and food are happy
Grain, oil and sugar are the protagonists
After a series of complex processes
Its deliciousness, form and allegory strike a clever balance
And behind this piece of fragrant, steaming pastry
It is also a cultural treasure that has lasted for thousands of years
History of Chinese cake spots
01
The earliest way to making pastries dates back to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties
More than 2,000 years ago, in the pre-Qin ancient book "Zhou Li Tianguan"
There is a record of "chaff bait powder"
The "bait" and "powder" here refer to both
A pastry made by mashing rice and rice into flour
In the Han Dynasty, "cake" foods began to emerge
The exegetician Liu Xi once explained in the Interpretation of Names:
"Cake, and also, the noodles make merge also"
The "noodles" here are water and noodles
It can be seen that people at that time had mastered the surface technology
He is also good at cooking with water and steam
But in the Han Dynasty
At that time, the cake included steamed bread, flapjacks and steamed buns
The most famous of these is the "Hu Cake"
There is also an explanation in the "Interpretation of names": "The work of hu cake is written on flax."
The flax mentioned in the explanation refers to sesame seeds
So the beard cake is actually sesame cake
In the Tang Dynasty, pastries gradually developed into commodity production
According to the literature, Chang'an has pastry shops and professional "cake masters"
Drink tea with a snack
It also gradually became popular in the tea feasts of the court
At that time, Bai Juyi's poems had words about pastries such as:
"Flax cakes like Kyoto, noodles crispy oil aroma newly baked,
Sent to ambassador Yang of hunger, taste to see to complement the excitement. ”
Tang Dynasty fancy dim sum from the Collection of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum
The Northern Song Dynasty was a legal holiday in Chinese history
One of the most dazzling dynasties
There are more than seventy festivals of greater and smaller sizes every year, and they must be eaten every festival
Therefore, the city well diet reached a peak in the Northern Song Dynasty
"Cake" is an important representative of the city's diet
The thoughtful "Past Affairs of Wulin" by the literati of the late Song Dynasty and the early Yuan Dynasty
In the chapter "City Food", a total of 19 kinds of folk pastries of various types are recorded:
Sugar cake, honey cake, chestnut cake, wheat cake, bean cake,
Flower cake, fin cake, ice cream, poria cake, small cake,
Steamed sugar cake, raw sugar cake, bee sugar cake, thread cake, leisure cake,
Dry cake, milk cake, she cake, Chongyang cake
Song Dynasty pastries appear several times in the TV series "Qing Ping Le"
Later Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties
In addition to inheriting and developing the cake-making skills of the Tang and Song Dynasties
With the change of the times and the exchange of Chinese and Western cultures
From China's coastal Shanghai, Guangzhou, Fujian and other cities
Western-style pastries have been introduced one after another
Republic of China to modern times
The various pastry gangs in our country began to form, and constantly exchanged and infiltrated
A gang of Chinese pastries
02
China's territory is vast, and the land is vast
Geography, climate, property and living customs vary from region to region
Precipitation in the south is mostly based on paddy fields, and the main food crop is rice
The northern precipitation is mainly dryland, and the main food crop is wheat
Therefore, the pastry is in the production method and variety pattern
In particular, local characteristics have gradually formed in terms of flavor
And in terms of taste, there is a salty and sweet point
So we are accustomed to dividing pastries into north and south flavors in terms of taste
If you divide it again
There are three mainstream pastry genres of Beijing-Tianjin, Guangdong Chao, and Suhu
These three schools of thought have flourished and given birth
Jingpai, Jinpai, Supai, Guangpai, Chaopai,
The Ning faction, the Shanghai faction, the Sichuan faction, the Yang faction, the Dian faction, and the Min faction
Eleven factions in total
Next, let's follow this map
Tour the jianghu genre of traditional Chinese pastries
Pastries represented by Beijing and Tianjin are also called northern-style pastries
Beijing was the capital of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties
It has been the political center of the country
It provides a good foundation for the development of dim sum
Among them, it is represented by The Eight Pieces of Beijing
According to the different fillings, it is divided into "upper four" and "lower four"
The "Shang Si Zhi" is each printed with the words "Fulu Shou jubilee"
(The left and right columns in the figure below)
The "next four things" are: silver ingots symbolizing wealth,
Take the chicken fat cake of "auspicious celebration and more", and the jujube flower cake that symbolizes the early birth of Takako
and shortbreads with good wishes
(The middle two columns of the figure below)
Kyo eight pieces
Compared with the south, the humidity is large and the light and heat conditions are good
Sugar crops such as sugar cane are more common
Especially in the tropics, it is rich in calories and the sugar content of sugar cane is high
The technology of sugar production arose from the south
Ancient sugar
It is "surrounded" by sugar, so the snacks are naturally heavy with oil and heavy sugar
And most of them are cakes
This is especially evident in Su, Shanghai, Ning and Yang-style pastries
Representative ones are
Su-style mooncakes, lard rice cakes, green dough, baguette pine cakes and bean crisp candy
Among them, Yang-style pastries are known for their exquisite craftsmanship and exquisite production
Hence the name "Viyang Dot"
Lard rice cake Bagu pine cake
Bean crisp sugar green dough
Since ancient times, Sichuan has been known for its rich products
Local residents have long mastered the art of making food
A large number of excavations have been unearthed in Wushan, Fuling, Guanghan and other places
Tools for making pastries from the Neolithic period to the Warring States period
Although Sichuan-style pastries are not as orthodox and dignified as Beijing-style pastries
Not as small and delicate as Huaiyang pastries
But it has its own unique charm taste
Sichuan-style pastries mainly pursue a "crisp" word
Therefore, the raw materials are mostly peanuts, sesame seeds, walnuts and so on
Among them is sweet and delicious, crispy and dregsy peach crisp
It is one of the main pastries in Sichuan-style pastries
And Sichuan-style peach crisp is made by adding a small amount of refined salt to the raw materials
Therefore, the finished product is slightly salty in the sweet
Fujian-style pastries are influenced by the coastal location
Therefore, the sweet and salty flavor is more obvious
At the same time, dried shrimp, seaweed, etc. will be added to it
Ingredients with outstanding seafood flavor
Therefore, the taste of the pastry is sweet and salty, and the salty is fresh
Has a strong regional flavor, such as:
Gift cakes, bowl cakes, salty real pastries, oyster cakes, shrimp crisps, sweet meat bread, etc
Oyster cake is a typical representative of the salty pie, and the bowl cake is the typical representative of the sweet pie
The filling of chao-style pastries is mainly bean paste, sugar winter melon, and sugar fat
Between the middle of the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, overseas hipsters came and went frequently
The development of industry and commerce has also ushered in the peak period of the development of fashion-style pastries
Chaoshan counties and townships have their own famous pastries
According to the production method, it is mainly divided into cakes, cakes and sugars
Representative varieties include shallot cake, wife cake, bean sticks, Haimen cake and so on
Yes, the wife cake is a typical representative of the tide brand pastry
And in Guangzhou, dim sum and morning tea are combined
Entered the ranks of the dinner
Its biggest feature is reflected in the word "inclusion"
For example, the char siu bun, one of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Cantonese dim sum
The flour used to make char siu buns comes from the north
The skin to burst naturally is an innovation in the South
And the other one – the egg tart
As a symbol of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, it is listed among them
Char siu buns, shrimp dumplings, roast selling, egg tarts, for cantonese dim sum "four kings"
Screenshot from "China on the Tip of the Tongue"
Guangzhou is one of the starting points of the Maritime Silk Road
Flour in the north, the way it is made in the south
As well as a variety of different ingredients from abroad
Chinese pastry
Here, the mission of blending the north and the south and integrating China and foreign countries has been completed
Dian-style pastries started late
But it draws on the strengths of Beijing-style, Cantonese-style and Western-style pastries
At the same time, it also makes use of Yunnan's rich ingredients and specialties
In the end, it came to the top and became a faction of its own
Yunnan is located on the southwestern border of China, with plenty of sunshine and evenness
In addition, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau is located at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters
Temperatures drop with altitude, so summer temperatures won't be very high
Tall mountains can also block the cold air from the north from moving south
So winters don't get particularly cold
Therefore, it is suitable for planting all kinds of flowers
These flowers are not only competing in the mountains
It is also an indispensable seasonal "delicacy" on the table
Freshly baked flower cake crusts are crisp and soft, and the petals are clear and full
After gently breaking open
The aromas of honey, wheat and flowers spread through the air
Chinese pastries: delicious, beautiful and allegorical
03
Of course, each has its own characteristics
The charm of Chinese pastries lies more in its set
Delicious, beautiful and allegorical triple value in one
Needless to say, delicious
These pastries with local characteristics have been passed down to this day
It has been tested by time and the tastes of diners
As for the appearance value, Chinese pastries are available during the production process
Pincer flowering, inlaying, rolling dip, stretching, extrusion, mold and plucking and other processes
In the processing process, there are steaming, boiling, frying, frying, burning and baking
A work that is presented after a series of procedures
All are full of oriental cuisine and ingenuity
Lotus puff pastry is a traditional pastry in Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Originated in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was later offered as a court dim sum
It is also a fancy pastry commonly used at banquets
Puff pastry is a large category of Chinese dim sum
Clearly crisp and dark puff pastry
Lotus puff pastry is a type of crisp, and clear layers can be seen from the surface
It is crispy and sweet to eat
At the same time, it also has the unique beauty and agility of Jiangnan dim sum
The aroma of osmanthus is both strong and strong, and the ancients substituted osmanthus flowers into pastries
It's what people call "osmanthus cake."
The snow-white surface is dotted with golden osmanthus flowers
Soft and non-sticky on the palate
It also carries the unique richness of osmanthus flowers
And when it comes to morals, our ancestors were even more good at food
Express your best wishes through pieces of ingenious pastries
Dingsheng cake is a Su-style pastry
There is one theory about its origin
In ancient times, people came back to welcome the soldiers who had won the war
And a special kind of dim sum
The color of the cake is crimson, symbolizing the triumph of the war
Then in the peacetime era, children went out to study or get awards
Friends and family will also make a few cages of dingsheng cakes to send off
Express good wishes for the title of the gold list
Hi cake is an important category of Chinese pastry
It carries the Chinese culture of happy events and rituals
Especially for Cantonese people who are very particular about life events
Gold list, marriage, housewarming, and birthday celebration are even more indispensable
As a gift, I give it to relatives and friends
In this way, we can convey good news and celebrate together
Soybean noodles are equivalent to paper, sesame noodles are equivalent to pen and ink, and the two are fused to form a word
Huizhou's unique embedded bean candy
Bean flavor, sesame flavor and slightly sweet sugar flavor make the lips and teeth fragrant
And it's amazing more than every piece of sugar
They all contain an auspicious Chinese character
There are words in sugar, meaning in words, and sweet meanings
Especially during the Chinese New Year
The child takes a grain of the word "shou" to the old man
The old man chooses a grain of "wealth" for his children
There is a silent blessing and a taste of home
And the taste of the year flowing between the lines
The region has north and south, but there are no boundaries in cuisine
Under the processing of complex processes
Ingredients collide and mix with each other
A clever balance is achieved in terms of taste, form and allegory
This is the charm of Chinese cuisine
Resources:
ZHANG Qianyu. Beimai Nan rice, sweet and salty: Traditional Chinese pastry culture[J].Shuxue, 2019(43):21-23.
WANG Yuanyuan,QIN Xiaojie. Discussion on sustainable development countermeasures of Chinese pastry[J].Modern Food, 2019(21):12-13+16.
"China on the Tip of the Tongue" Season 3 - Crispy
topic
Where did you grow up eating pastries?
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