Communication: Guangdong overseas Chinese Shantou sugarcane smoked duck: overseas wanderers delicious nostalgia

China News Service Shantou March 14 Title: Guangdong Overseas Chinese Shantou Sugarcane Smoked Duck: Overseas Tourists Delicious Homesickness

China News Service reporter Li Yiqing

In Shantou, Guangdong Province, there is a traditional dish "sugarcane smoked duck" with chaoshan characteristics, which still follows the century-old traditional production craft, which is not only loved by the local people, but also the delicious nostalgia of many overseas tourists.

"In the era of lack of materials, smoked duck can only have the opportunity to eat every New Year's Festival, and as the living conditions are getting better and better, they often come to buy smoked duck to eat and send to relatives and friends." Lin Yanni, who lives in Thailand, told reporters on the 14th that this taste often reminds her of the scene of her life in Shantou when she was a child.

The reporter visited ShantouXiashan Town, which mainly produces sugarcane smoked duck, and learned that the history of smoked duck can be traced back to more than 300 years ago, due to the local abundant production of sugarcane, there were many discarded bagasse after sugarcane was squeezed, and the ancestors used burning bagasse to smoke duck. The smoked duck meat has a sweet, fatty but not greasy taste, which is endlessly evocative. Due to its age, the traditional smoked duck with complicated processes has almost been lost, and only a few local people have inherited the art of making smoked duck. At present, the smoked ducks on the market are about 90 yuan each.

In a century-old sugarcane smoked duck shop in Shantou Xiashan Town, the reporter saw that in the wooden barrel used for smoking duck, the charcoal fire has been burning, the wooden barrel emits a sweet smoky smell, and the pickled duck is neatly hung on the inner wall of the barrel, and a large pile of bagasse is placed next to it.

Huang Bo, the owner of the smoked duck shop, told reporters that their shop adheres to the ancient method of making the duck passed down from home, and the smoked duck produced is famous far and wide, and the daily production is limited. Select duck weighing about 5 kilograms, wash and marinate overnight with brown sugar, tangerine peel, Sichuan pepper, star anise, five-spice powder, vinegar, salt and other secret marinades. Each smoked duck shop has its own set of secret recipes, from the selection, flattening of the duck body, pickling, smoking and so on require more than ten processes. The store now averages nearly 300 orders a month.

It takes at least two days to make a smoked duck, the duck is marinated for a day to dry, and then the marinated duck is hung in a wooden barrel, baked with charcoal and then added to the bagasse to smoke, every once in a while to add bagasse, while turning the duck, to ensure that the taste and color are uniform, smoked for about 3 hours. The smoked duck has a date-red skin and a hint of sweetness after smoking.

Industry insiders said that in addition to local customers, villagers and tourists at home and abroad are very fond of smoked duck. Merchants sell through a combination of online and offline, and the sales volume is very high during the New Year's Festival, so they must be booked in advance. According to market demand, at present, merchants use vacuum packaging and cold chain distribution to keep smoked duck fresh, which is convenient for customers to carry and gift to relatives and friends.

Sugarcane smoked duck is not only a traditional dish of Chaoshan region, there are many overseas Chinese and overseas Chinese in Shantou, but also their memories of hometown cuisine, which has become a delicious nostalgia for overseas travelers. (End)

Source: China News Network