Beijing News (reporter Wang Jixin) "Boxy paper bags, a package of frozen rice candy, a package of wick cakes, respectively tied with paper ropes, these are the two kinds of snacks that Fengcheng people must bring when they visit the New Year." You Binggan, the fourth-generation inheritor of Fengcheng frozen rice candy making technology of Jiangxi's provincial-level "intangible cultural heritage" protection project, told the Beijing News reporter, "I remember when I was a child, every year after Lapa Ba, every household began to make frozen rice candy, the caramel of fried glutinous rice and the wheat aroma of malt, and the whole village was wrapped in a kind of New Year's sweetness." ”
Handmade Toyojo frozen rice candy. Courtesy of respondents
The Qianlong Emperor "brought fire" Fengcheng frozen rice candy
Fengcheng is located in the central part of Jiangxi Province and has a history of more than 1,800 years. The superiority of natural endowments, the farming conditions of "four mountains, one water, four fields, one road and manor", and the abundant coal reserves have made Fengcheng known as "Jinfeng city, the granary of the coal sea" since ancient times. Correspondingly, folk customs are also engraved with the landscape mark of Fengcheng. Among them, the tea made of fresh tea leaves from the surrounding mountains, accompanied by a piece of crisp and sweet frozen rice candy, is the hometown flavor of the people of Fengcheng.
Frozen rice sugar has appeared in the agrarian society, which is enough to prove the economic strength of a region, after all, this dessert must be deeply processed with the best grain, oil and so on.
The direct "fire" of frozen rice candy was after the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty tasted it in the lower Jiangnan, and Qianlong's evaluation was: "crisp, crisp, fragrant and sweet." Since then, this cut frozen rice candy has become a popular folk snack, and it also has an elegant nickname "Gangnam Small Cut". For a time, from the county town to the countryside, almost every household had to make this kind of dim sum during the New Year.
Well-known desserts were once reduced to "junk" food
Frozen rice candy is not only a local specialty, but also the pride of Fengcheng people. The ranger cadre told reporters that in the impression, every year after the establishment of winter, especially after the eighth day of Lapa, every family in the neighboring eight townships must make frozen rice candy.
When making sugar, the adults in the family are busy frying glutinous rice and boiling sugar, and after the children run around the sugar board, the air is filled with the smell of frozen rice candy.
He said that his father belonged to the kind of well-known able people who could drive boats, masons, carpenters... The frozen rice candy of the next door neighbor's house was made with the help of his father. "Maltose is not easy to boil, tender, frozen rice sugar will collapse, old, everything will be broken." At that time, families with good conditions had to make a few jars of frozen rice candy and save them for the Spring Festival. ”
Boil maltose. Courtesy of respondents
However, under the fame, when it was hot, it was inevitable that there would be indiscriminate quantities, destroying the reputation of Fengcheng frozen rice candy. More than a decade ago, Fengcheng frozen rice candy was once regarded as "junk" food by foreigners. This was originally just a casual "complaint", but after being heard by the rangers, his heart was heavy.
"I remember when I was a child, frozen rice candy was an important gift for visiting relatives and friends, representing the heart of the giver. How come to my life, frozen rice candy has become a despised 'garbage', and my heart is really uncomfortable. ”
Although I grew up watching adults do it, I really have to learn every detail from scratch.
The rangers who were nearly confused at that time really did a lot of "stupid" things. Giving up the business of mastering lightly, more than 200,000 yuan of food machinery finally sold for 2600 yuan, just to focus on making authentic Fengcheng frozen rice candy.
He told reporters, "The quality standard of Fengcheng frozen rice candy is only 4 words 'crisp, crisp, fragrant and sweet'. In order to achieve these 4 words, the rangers even planted 200 acres of rice themselves.
Late glutinous rice planting ground. Courtesy of respondents
The ingenuity behind crispness, crispness, aroma and sweetness
According to reports, glutinous rice for frozen rice candy should be made of "two-night rice". This is a late-maturing rice that is sown in the fifth month of the lunar calendar and has a growing period of more than 130 days. "You can't use early rice, and the frozen rice candy you make will prick your hands." Planting late rice is also risky, and if it cools down suddenly near harvest, it will cause a no harvest. To make frozen rice candy, it also depends on the day to eat. ”
The malt syrup and steamed glutinous rice are mixed well and fermented. Courtesy of respondents
The best glutinous rice is soaked in local well water, steamed in wooden barrels, and placed on a bamboo mat to cool.
"The production of frozen rice candy in winter is also because the air is dry in this season, the temperature is low, the glutinous rice will not be fermented in the soaking link, and the steamed frozen rice seeds can be slowly dried in the low temperature environment in winter, generally 3 to 4 days, so that the dried frozen rice seeds will not break the rice flowers fried, and it will be crispy to eat."
Steamed frozen rice seeds take 3 to 4 days to dry slowly in the shade. Courtesy of respondents
Another key to making frozen rice candy is the production of maltose. "In the past, home cooking used to put glutinous rice mixed with malt into a ceramic jar and then put the whole jar into a large wooden barrel, surrounded by straw and covered with a quilt. Now after the factory production, this link is still maintained by hand, and it is necessary to put one inch of sprouted barley into a stone mortar, beat it into a pulp with a wooden pestle, mix it well with steamed glutinous rice, add warm water, and ferment. The starch in glutinous rice is slowly converted into sugar under the action of malt, and finally only a layer of rice skin is left, indicating that the fermentation is good and enters the boiling process of maltose. ”
Barley malt is beaten with a wooden pestle to form a pulp, which is the raw material for making maltose. Courtesy of respondents
Ranger Gan told reporters, "When the syrup water is boiled into a black tea color, the malt aroma is volatilized, so that the boiled maltose, no matter how long it is put, is very crispy." ”
According to reports, the cost of maltose boiled in pure barley is about 5500 yuan per ton, and the maltose made with food additives is only about 2800 yuan, but, "made with the latter, frozen rice candy tastes hard, will 'mouth', not crisp." "These nuances make a piece of frozen rice candy fundamentally different.
After the pressed frozen rice sugar is sliced hot, it can be packaged. Ranger Cadre told reporters that in order to adapt to the current consumption habits, frozen rice candy has been converted into independent small packages.
However, according to the traditional practice, it is necessary to use a kind of primary color food wrapping paper similar to rice paper to wrap it squarely, and then tie it with paper-rubbed rope, "When the people of Fengcheng New Year, no matter how many gifts they take, they can only lack frozen rice candy." The ranger said that a bag of frozen rice candy and a bag of wick cakes carried these two things to the New Year, which was the happiest scene in his memory.
Beijing News reporter Wang Jixin
Edited by Zhang Shujing Proofreader He Yan