In recent days, Shanghai's fresh meat mooncakes have entered the hot sale, and some stores have been in long queues. So, what is the historical context behind the seafood meat mooncake? Who were the first producers? What is an authentic heritage brand? Stores are ready to make and factory production, what people are more delicious? The Morning News reporter conducted a visit and investigation in this regard today.
Shanghai residents lined up to buy fresh meat mooncakes at stores such as Guangming Estate, Taikang Food and Zhen Lao Fang
<h2>On the seafood meat mooncake, which has the earliest history? </h2>
Many long-established brands like to flaunt their long history when selling mooncakes. So, which store launched the fresh meat mooncake in Shanghai? The reporter asked Shen Sirui, a third-level researcher at the Shanghai Municipal Local History Office, for verification. According to shen Sirui's previous inquiries from the Declaration:
In the late 19th century, with the continuous development of Shanghai's urban scale, the population gathered and the commercial market prospered. Advertisements related to mooncakes also began to appear frequently on the "Declaration". On September 18, 1887, Wuma Road (now Guangdong Road) newly opened Yizhen Tea House, and its business features include "moon cake". On September 3, 1888, the term "Guangdong mooncake" clearly appeared in the advertisement of the firm, and it can be seen that it has a wide variety and different tastes.
On September 18, 1887, the newly opened Yizhen Tea House published an advertisement in the "Declaration", which listed the Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake as one of the features
At that time, most of the mooncakes were made and sold for tea houses and tea houses, so similar advertisements were often published in the "Declaration". The "Yizhen Tea House" and "Tongzhen Tea Residence" located on the Fourth And Fifth Road and the "Tong'an Tea Residence" on the Main Road (now Nanjing East Road) are particularly common.
The "fresh meat mooncake" that Shanghai citizens talk about today first appeared in 1928, when the words "fresh meat mooncake" appeared in the product advertisement of the famous Taikang company. In 1942, a merchant named "Good Food Company" located at the intersection of Xiaoshadu Road on Aiwenyi Road (now the intersection of Xikang Road in Beijing) advertised "first invented fresh hot salty mooncakes", mainly promoting "Su Yang Famous Teacher", with varieties such as "chicken", "shrimp", "fresh meat", "ham", "shallot oil" and so on.
According to a food person, it can be seen that the varieties of fresh meat mooncakes at that time were very diverse, and in addition to roasting and processing on the spot, there were many derivatives in addition to pure fresh meat varieties.
On September 8, 1928, an advertisement for fresh meat mooncakes of Taikang Company appeared in the "Declaration"
On September 20, 1942, in the "Declaration" advertisement, Good Food Company claimed to have launched the "fresh hot salty mooncake", and there was also an advertisement for the Mid-Autumn Mooncake in Xinghualou next to it
Interestingly, the reporter found that next to the "Good Food Company" advertisement, there was also the Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake advertisement in the Apricot Blossom Building, which shows that at that time, the merchant attached great importance to the mooncake advertisement and started the "mooncake war" before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Today, Taikang's fresh meat mooncake has become an Internet celebrity model, and the variety is more diverse
As a Shanghainese, in Shen Sirui's view, all kinds of fresh meat mooncakes on the side of the road in Shanghai today, fried on the spot, the business is good, and the perennial supply has basically become a daily snack. "Fresh meat mooncakes must be eaten while hot, otherwise the taste will be much worse after it is cold."
<h2>Four old houses, which one is authentic? </h2>
When it comes to delicious fresh meat mooncakes, Lao Da Fang is definitely a popular brand for Shanghai citizens. However, there are many brands of old houses in Shanghai now, and the reporter carefully combed through them, and there are four old houses in the west district, the real old house, the old house in the south district and the old house in the east district. So, which is the authentic old house brand?
Song Zhiliang, a Shanghai literary and historical worker, said: In his impression, the house on Fujian Middle Road on Nanjing East Road (the real old house) should be authentic, because the famous location is good. Zhou Li, a senior media person and urban culture researcher, believes that the time for the launch of fresh meat mooncakes in the old house in the West District is earlier.
The real old house located on Middle Fujian Road on Nanjing East Road
After some efforts, the reporter found the owner of the laofang trademark shanghai west district laofang food industry co., LTD., from the historical information provided by the company's insiders, the reporter finally sorted out the historical context of the century-old brand of the old house.
"Old House" was formerly known as 1851 (the first year of Qing Xianfeng) Su bang tea "Chen Dafang", the founder Chen Wantai started from scratch, in Shanghai County Xiaodongmen Dongjiadu stall, using fresh ingredients to sell fresh. Due to the prosperity of business, Chen Wantai rented a house in the nearby Catholic Church Street and officially opened a Subang tea shop, named "Chen Dafang" to show his first shop opened by Chen. In order to develop the business, he invited the knowledgeable Chen Hanqing to the store as an assistant (equivalent to today's assistant general manager). Because of the prosperity of business, Chen Hanqing resigned and set up a self-reliant portal, choosing a location to open a Subang tea shop at No. 442, Potang Lane, Nanjing Road.
Location map of the old old house in the West District in the 1940s, next to the jianji old house (1947 edition of "The Guide to The Old Shanghai Hundred Industries", republished by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Publishing House in 2008)
After Chen Hanqing's death, his brother Chen Jiruo continued to expand his business, and in 1935, he opened a shop in the Jing'an Temple in downtown Huxi. The location of Jing'an Temple is bustling, the road is spacious, and the transportation is convenient. The same industry is concentrated around the area, and there are 7 tea shops in Jian Ji Lao Fang, Xin Ji Lao Fang, Wei Mei, Guangdong East, Mei Kang, Mei Hua, and Together with the West District Shop (see picture above). At that time, the laodafang west branch had the largest number of employees and the best sales performance, and after the public-private partnership of the whole industry in 1956, the old boss fangxi branch was assigned to Jing'an District and officially renamed the west district old house.
West End Old House Store in the 1990s (infographic)
Today's West End Old Mansion store
So, eating fresh meat mooncakes, is it important to have an authentic brand? The reporter interviewed Zhang Guisheng, vice president of the Shanghai Food Culture Research Association, who is a registered senior culinary master in China, a senior technician of national Chinese cooking, and a national Chinese cooking referee, with 50 years of industry experience, and a very familiar with the catering and food industry. In Zhang Guisheng's view, in fact, the brand is not important, the key is whether the mooncake is delicious or not.
Because with the change of the times, the first generation of masters and the second generation of the former (store) have passed away, and the three generations of disciples have also retired. Is there a descendant in the back? How is its craftsmanship? In addition, now that the original spices have lost their original quality and taste, things are not human, so who is authentic and not authentic, what does it matter? Or this indisputable truth - "delicious is the last word". What can be accepted by the public and sells well is a good product, even if it is criticized by others.
The Old House in the West End launched a fresh meat mooncake with squeezed vegetables
The real boss house launched shrimp fresh meat mooncake
Fresh meat mooncakes from Sanyang South
I personally believe that innovation is eternal, but it does not prevent the preservation of traditional mooncakes loved by the people, such as fresh meat mooncakes and bean paste mooncakes, which can be passed down to this day because it has been tested by people of all ages and has indeed proved that it is cheap and good. Fresh meat mooncakes can be added with other ingredients due to innovation, but they cannot be replaced by them.
<h2>Store-made or factory-produced, which is more delicious? </h2>
When it comes to taste, many people will think that the freshly baked fresh meat mooncakes in the store should be of better quality, so is this the case?
The Morning News reporter interviewed Mr. Jiang Libin, a master of Chinese cooking and deputy general manager of China Eastern Airlines Food and Beverage Management Company. Jiang Libin told reporters: Now in addition to a few people such as Guangming Estate, which insist on making them fresh, most stores are basically not making mooncakes now, but they just give a concept of "freshly baked", but it is difficult for general customers to distinguish. At present, the raw embryo technology of frozen mooncakes in the food industry has been very mature, and several well-known long-established brands in Shanghai are sold in stores after the production of central kitchens, and its advantages are "unified molding, consistent puff pastry, consistent taste, and labor savings". At present, the canteen and store of China Eastern Airlines Group have introduced fresh meat mooncakes produced by a long-established brand using factory cold chain technology.
Bright Estate insists on fresh meat mooncakes, which are placed on a frying pan and burned
The real old house is on the shelves to sell fresh meat mooncakes that have just been baked
The fresh meat mooncake in the old house of the West District is made by modern cold chain technology and freshly baked in the store
A long-established person told reporters that at present, most brands of fresh meat mooncakes in Shanghai are factory-produced, and the quality is guaranteed to be better than the store's own freshly made.
From the perspective of quality control, we have a professional production line, each fresh meat mooncake can do the size, shape and taste are almost the same, to ensure product standardization; the core material of the fresh meat mooncake is meat filling, from the taste point of view, because we use a quick-frozen warehouse up to minus forty-five degrees, better lock the juice and umami taste of the meat filling, which is not achieved by the store; in addition, the industrial production of fresh meat mooncakes, because there is a special workshop and management system, such as the whole cold chain management, will be more hygienic than the store.
Comparing the two models, Jiang Libin believes:
The advantage of the industrialization model is that the requirements for skilled workers are not as high as those of the store master, reducing the production threshold, saving labor costs, estimating sales volume, greatly reducing the backlog of raw materials, and extending the shelf life; and the advantage of the traditional store process is that according to the taste of customers, a short period of time can be diversified production, and the business model of the factory before and after the store may have a kind of pyrotechnic gas!
According to incomplete statistics from mooncake manufacturers, last year Shanghai sold a total of 20 million fresh meat mooncakes, of which the old house in the West District produced more than 6 million, accounting for nearly one-third!
Source: Thoughtful