Who said that it is a pity that I have never been to Yunnan in my life and have not appreciated the wind and snow moon of Xizhou Ancient Town. It is a beautiful town located in the north of the ancient city of Dali, adjacent to the Erhai Sea in the east and Cangshan Mountain in the west, and the town is full of carved beams and paintings, gatehouse gables. It is a settlement of bai people, and the beauty of these buildings fully reflects the architectural talent and artistic creativity of the working people.
Lao She made a very wonderful description in the 1942 "Short Notes on the Journey of Dian". He said that in China, a more dignified town than Xizhou Ancient Town may no longer be found, and even foreign countries rarely see such a town. As soon as you go out, you can see a steady stream of living water, rivers flowing, laundry and cooking, and clear water no matter what you do.
The streets there are so neat, there are marble arches with gold on the side of the street, there are exquisite deep mansion compounds, and there are many dignified and solemn ancestral halls, all of which are golden and brilliant.
After reading such a beautiful description of the author, I had to have such a feeling - it is a pity not to have been to such a prosperous and wonderful Xizhou ancient town, and it is a pity not to have eaten the Xizhou ancient town of Xizhou, which is even more regrettable, because its delicious taste can never be forgotten as long as it is eaten once.
<h1>1. The legend of Xizhou</h1> Cang
How did Xizhou Come to be, and what kind of magical legend it has, many of the records in historiography are currently vague. However, Dali people are accustomed to calling cake foods "rice cakes", which means "cake". The reason why it is not exactly equivalent to "cake" is because "cake" is generally made of flour, but in Yunnan, there are also "cakes" made of rice flour or glutinous rice flour, which are called "rice dumplings" in Yunnan.
Xizhou was first named according to its appearance and appearance, and did not put the place name in front. At the same time, in addition to the name "Xizhou Rice Dumpling", it is also called "Broken Crisp", and the sweet habit is called "Broken Crisp" or "Broken Crispy Rice Cake", which has always been round.
Its main raw material is flour, divided into sweet and salty two flavors, sweet will add rose filling, will also add bean paste, salty will generally add fragrant meat foam, mixed with the delicious chives let people smell straight off the saliva. When baking Xizhou rice dumplings, whether it is sweet or salty, lard will be used, and some people will add butter, which can make the rice dumplings more crispy and delicious, and at the same time make the rice dumplings crack during the baking process, forming a wonderful pattern effect of "broken crisp".
Forgot to say, "Broken Crispy Rice Dumpling" is also the earliest and only "former name" of Xizhou Rice Dumpling. Until now, the older Bai people are still used to calling it this way.
<h1>Second, the development of Xizhou</h1>
The "Xizhou Zhi" said, "Before the liberation of Xizhou Street, there were six popular food shops, that is, women and children are known as 'Sun Dingzhen Oil Powder', 'Dagou Broken Crisp', 'Xianyang Pickles', 'Zhang Zihui Soy Sauce', 'Li Shicai Beef', and 'Xicai Bait'."
On the signboard of the current "Fuxing Broken Crispy Rice Dumpling" shop, the far right side is written with "century-old brand" and the word "Dagou", which looks very famous. I have to say that it is indeed the one with the greatest reputation in Xizhou Ancient Town.
It is rumored that Xizhou Rice Dumpling was originally made by the great-grandmother of the Yang family of folk pastry artists, and later continued to inherit and develop, and when it came to grandfather Yang Fuxing, he began to try to improve and innovate, and invented the technology of baking rice dumplings in the bottom of the stove. As soon as this technology was invented, the Bai people's scone technology has been rapidly developed, and the taste is unique, and the entrance is crisp and fragrant.
Tourists from near and far come here, always want to go to his home to taste the delicious taste of Xizhou rice dumplings, at that time there was a shape similar to the beef tongue broken crisp, known by the locals as "Dagou beef tongue broken crisp", very popular, to this day there are many people who admire it. It is recorded in the Xizhou Chronicle that this is the origin of "Da Gou Broken Crispy Rice Dumpling".
Over the years, Yang Fuxing is still constantly innovating, but also not arrogant, constantly asking for the opinions of the elders, distributing Xizhou Cangcang to the left neighbors, so that everyone can evaluate the taste, in order to make the special cuisine of Xizhou Cangcang inherit and develop in the long history.
Among them, his innovation in filling is very worthy of reference, in addition to the previously mentioned rose filling, green onion meat foam, etc., he also added a series of pepper and salt, so that tourists from all over the world feasted and praised.
<h1>Third, the value of Xizhou canon</h1>
Flour and wheat flour are the main raw materials of Xizhou rice dumplings, which are very exquisite on the noodles, and a little more or less will affect the taste. Generally speaking, a small amount of alkali is added, the noodles are kneaded thoroughly, and then the noodles are layered with lard, and finally sprinkled with green onions, meat foam, salt and other fillings.
Many tourists have other needs, such as ham, eggs, diced meat, oil residue, brown sugar, etc., which they think will make the taste more wonderful.
However, whether it is sweet or salty, it is prepared with two layers of charcoal, and the oil in the pot is slowly roasted to brown, and the aroma is baked until it is crispy. About ten minutes later, a pot of yellow, fragrant, crispy and crisp "broken puff pastry" came out of the pot.
Xizhou rice dumplings are a very cost-effective food, not only delicious and fragrant, but also cheap and affordable, very popular, not only that, it also has a very high nutritional value.
Raw wheat flour is rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other minerals, which have the effect of nourishing the heart and kidneys, strengthening the spleen and thick intestines, removing heat and quenching thirst, and can replenish energy to the human body. Of course, it is also suitable for nausea caused by spleen and stomach deficiency, decreased appetite, diarrhea and sweat deficiency caused by qi deficiency, shortness of breath, and abdominal distention in pregnancy. The local people's love for Xizhou rice dumplings is that they eat three meals a day.
<h1>IV. Conclusion</h1>
Modern society people's economic level is increasing, the cost of tourism is relatively low, to a picturesque scenic spot to see the beauty of the landscape, eat all the local specialties of food is not the desire of every ordinary person's heart. But a lot of times, real life forces us to keep running, we don't even have time to stop and take a break, and our brains and hearts are restless.
But we still have hope, hoping that at some point in the day, we will be able to go where we want to go, even if it is a walk on the street. And Xizhou Ancient Town is such a place, Xizhou Cangcang will also be a food that makes your mind relax. The world is so big, why not go and appreciate the great rivers and mountains of the motherland?
Resources:
1. "The Wind of Southern Yunnan"
2. "The Charm of Dali Xizhou Millennium Ancient Town"
3. "Short Notes on the Journey of Dian"