Speaking of Jiangyin specialties, the first thing that people think of must be horseshoe puff pastry, the color of golden butter bright with sauce color, like a enlarged flower, the flowers are dotted with sesame seeds and melon seed meat embedded in the flower buds, walnut meat, heavy oil and heavy sugar, the unique rapeseed oil aroma mixed with strong sesame aroma, jujube mud aroma and baked after the cake aroma, and through the unique caramel syrup brushed, enhance the viscosity of the shortbread, not to mention, the baked cake not only baked a unique golden yellow, but also with a special caramel aroma, It is the most unforgettable taste of Jiangyin people from that era.
When I was a child, reading and passing by the forward grocery store at the head of the Wenheng Bridge, I would always be attracted by the taste of horseshoe puff pastry moved off the transport cart of the food candy factory in front of the store, and I couldn't help but pick out a few cents from the accumulated money to buy a villain book, asking my classmates to borrow a small amount of food stamps to buy a big snack, in fact, it was not a big pleasure, because this horseshoe puff pastry first had to be pulled twice, and then two, and then according to the remaining three or two petal-like quarters of the cake, and then separated into a bun petal, At this time, I carefully savored the unique taste of horseshoe puff pastry, so that eating, a cake can deal with a morning or an afternoon, of course, the premise is not to hide in the school, because the horseshoe crispy smell, you are wrapped in the practice book paper, the taste will still drill into the nose of the hungry insects, so, the law is wrapped around you, at this time you eat alone is impossible, you are not reported to the homeroom teacher is lucky, A few friends hugged me sneakily hiding in the corner of the campus and eating it, three times five divided by two, originally wanted to eat an afternoon plan failed, thinking that the day of buying a comic strip had to be postponed, a thousand regrets in my heart, ten thousand regrets, but the classmates who had eaten comforted and refreshed, "Oh, don't pande, tomorrow morning I will accompany you to pick up iron money to sell!" "To this day, half a century later, I have to hold him.
When horseshoe puff pastry became a specialty of Jiangyin, it is impossible to verify, but one thing is certain, that is, after the Ming and Qing dynasties, due to the flourishing commercial influence of the Song Dynasty, many snacks and noodles flocked out, bringing rich food to the rich Jiangnan at that time. It is believed that horseshoe puff pastry is a kind of noodle from the north that appeared in Jiangnan during that period, and now the tiger's foot paws, wolverines and other noodles in Jiangnan and central Suzhou are the ancestors of horseshoe puff pastry.
Tiger claws
Northern horseshoe puff pastry
Diamond navel
It's just that these noodles have arrived in Jiangyin, and they have been upgraded in the taste of liking innovation and heavy oil and crisp, giving it to cater to the tastes of the local people, catering to the aesthetics of the contemporary imperial court, and giving it a characteristic name of the Qing Dynasty - horseshoe puff pastry, because the Qing Dynasty has always been known as the "nation on horseback". And in my opinion, such a delicate cake as if it were a blooming Kelsang flower, without even a hint of horseshoe feeling, it is certain that the horseshoe puff pastry that prevailed in the Qing Dynasty has been innovated in the Republic of China, and the original horseshoe-shaped shortbread has been completely replaced by today's horseshoe puff pastry. Its owner is the famous "Daoxiang Village" in Jiangyin City.
Daoxiang village owner is Jiangyin Wujin junction jiaodian people Chengbotang, in 1880, he opened a "Gusu Daoxiangcun" food store by the river in the east of the city of Anli Bridge, the food store before and after the workshop, self-produced and sold a variety of teas, including his horseshoe crisp, but the horseshoe crisp to his hands, there have been great changes, he made the horseshoe crisp crisp soft, sweet and oily, the entrance is immediate, deeply liked by the People of Jiangyin, then Jiangyin South Gate waterway in all directions, is an important rice wharf and cloth wharf in Jiangnan, Guests from the south to the north will pass through Daoxiang Village, so the unique horseshoe puff pastry of Daoxiang Village is delicious and does not go away, slowly, Jiangyin people visit relatives and friends to bring two horseshoe puff pastry, especially in the Republic of China period, many Jiangyin people to Shanghai to develop, come to Shanghai, horseshoe puff pastry is a must-bring native product. Shanghai beaches have recognized Jiangyin's horseshoe puff pastry, which is worth it? That must be the first local product of Jiangyin. In this way, the horseshoe puff pastry ascended to the throne of Jiangyin specialties.
Anyway, in our time, being able to eat a horseshoe puff pastry must be the happiest thing. Thanks to the student activities that opened the school when I was a child, I was fortunate to take a small group of classmates to the food and candy factory to study workers, which is really happy from heaven, because we are going to do the horseshoe puff pastry factory Oh, there are endless horseshoe puff pastry, smell endless shortbread, that is the envy of other groups. Of course, eating is not enough to eat, but the horseshoe crisp smell enough, in fact, the taste of the moment you enter the door is good, and there is no taste when you enter the workshop. Instead, I saw the whole process of making horseshoe puff pastry.
On a large table, the teacher in white coat skillfully kneaded dough, kneaded strips, picked noodles, stuffed, pressed cakes, cut patterns, coated with sugar, sprinkled sesame seeds, and finally did not forget to pick two walnut kernels in the center of the cake, or sprinkle a few grains of watermelon seed meat, the action was as smooth as water, seven or eight men and women's masters giggled and did not stop, and soon a large tin cart of horseshoe puff pastry embryos were ready. We are small, it is not the turn to do the technical work of horseshoe puff pastry, we can only wrap clothes for candy on a table next to us, thinking to ourselves, how to make horseshoe puff pastry and make flatbread the same tone?
Look at the water-like things of the sugar thin white flowers in the enamel pot, how to brush the big brush, the teacher Fu grabbed a handful of sesame seeds from the enamel cup so sprinkled, a white embryo on the very even sesame seeds, but there is a brush. Another master is even more desperate, take a knife, while telling jokes while "kicking and tapping" a few times, the white cake appears chrysanthemum-like marks, and the shape is uniform, no worse than the father who painted, I can't help but admire these teachers who look nothing special. It is said that there is an important trick to whether Jiangyin horseshoe puff pastry is done well or not, that is, whether the water alkali of the noodles is in place, which is the skill of the palm cake master.
After they finished making the cake, a master pushed the black oven, which was layered with horseshoe puff pastry, the oven went into the big oven, and after a while, the smell of the horseshoe crisp that wanted to die came out, we "Red Guards", of course, could not pay for the worms, but the teachers already knew our psychology, the cake could not be eaten, because the worst cake was not allowed to be eaten by the staff, this is the rule, the master sent a few incomplete sugars from the table to everyone to solve the hunger. At this time, the board truck and tricycle at the door have long been waiting, that is, to the various food stores in the city to transport horseshoe puff pastry and other food, and when all this is over, the only welfare of the staff comes, spend a few cents, do not need to pay food stamps, you can buy the remaining disabled horseshoe puff pastry, broken horseshoe puff pastry, baked horseshoe puff pastry, in fact, the roasted horseshoe puff pastry is delicious, the caramel is baked dark red, shiny, wrapped in the cake that is a special incense. And I've had the privilege of having had my turn twice during my month-long semester of study. Of course, when it came to school, everyone was blowing in unison how to eat horseshoe crisp until they were tired and tired of eating, which was really an incomparable thing that made the class envy.
After graduating from middle school, it seems that Jiangyin's horseshoe puff pastry has never been decent again, not a little puff pastry in the hard state, or there is no longer such a unique aroma and crispy taste, so, Jiangyin's horseshoe puff pastry is no longer eaten, naturally, doing Jiangyin specialties is really not able to take out, hospitable Jiangyin people are not small, always cheerful and enthusiastic, it is really this original ghost dripping big thing is that no one does it well, and it is embarrassing to take it out.
Suddenly one day came the news, ximen Yang bridge, came a pastry chef, actually made out of the horseshoe crisp is very delicious, I tried it is indeed the taste of childhood, quickly bought and sent to Nanjing's brother and brother to taste, the result is unanimously delicious, childhood horseshoe crisp back! So I came up with a lot of ideas on a whim, hoping to make the best horseshoe crisp in Jiangyin bigger and more refined, but go to see the humble shop, the crowd is crowded, it is the emperor's daughter who is not worried about getting married, the boss is busy, why should I go to this move? As long as this intangible asset of Jiangyin is not lost, it is a good thing.