China News Service, Taiyuan, September 4th. Title: The production and sales of intangible cultural heritage mooncakes in Jinyuan, Shanxi Province are booming. Old tastes are integrated into new ideas to gain popularity in the market.
Author Yang Jieying Yang Runde Cui Lixia
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the mooncake market is heating up. In Wangguo Village, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, in the workshop of the "Jinwang Fuqiuxian Mooncake", a representative project of municipal intangible cultural heritage, the seventh-generation inheritor Wang Qiuxian and his family, as well as the nearby skilled aunts, are busy. The whole process of dividing fillings, rolling out cake embryos, unmoulding and placing on the plate, and brushing oil for baking was all done smoothly. In about half an hour, the deliciously fragrant mooncakes were freshly baked. The refreshing sweetness floated out of the courtyard, and new and old customers placed orders one after another.
As Shanxi's characteristic intangible cultural heritage, the hollow mooncake production process is unique. Photo by Cui Lixia
Jinwang Fuqiuxian mooncakes are known for their “ripeness” and exquisite craftsmanship. Mix the white flour with alkali according to the proportion, pour hot sesame oil into the flour, and instantly stir up golden bubbles; then pour a high-strength white wine, add pepper water and honey in turn, stir evenly to form a dough, use part of it to make puff pastry, and use the remaining dough to make skin. Bake the pastry until both sides are golden, then crush it into granules and mix with the cooked fillings. This is the secret to being fragrant but not greasy, and also the secret to keeping it for a long time.
Wang Qiuxian introduced that the local traditional mooncakes in Jinci are very particular about the way they are made. Not only do the crusts need to be prepared with cooked oil, white wine, and Sichuan peppercorns, but the fillings also need to be baked and fried. This traditional technique not only makes the mooncakes taste more crispy and sweet, but also extends the shelf life. After the oil is returned, the mooncakes become crispier and crispier, and they will not deteriorate even if they are placed in a cool place for a year and a half.
The stuffing-making process focuses on real ingredients. Make a base of ground pastry, brown sugar, and white sugar, add roasted and crushed peanuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, cashews and other nuts in advance, then add a spoonful of fragrant rose jam and osmanthus jam, add honey, sesame oil, and caramel and stir together. The aroma of baking dough, the aroma of nuts, and the fragrance of nectar are wrapped in layers, sweet but not greasy, crisp but not scattered.
On the basis of the classic five-nut flavor, this year the workshop has launched a variety of new flavors such as chocolate, mince, hawthorn rose, spicy beef, etc., which are deeply loved by young people. The encounter between "old Jinyuan flavor" and "new consumer trends" not only retains the roots of intangible cultural heritage, but also expands the consumer circle. Wang Qiuxian said that as the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, orders have grown explosively. The store is fully powered and working overtime. Tens of thousands of items can be produced in a day during peak periods, but demand still exceeds supply.
The staff in the "Sanjin Yingjie" intangible cultural heritage workshop are busy. Photo by Cui Lixia
The same busy scene was also staged at the "Three Jin Ying Jie" intangible cultural heritage workshop in Wangguo Village. In the production workshop, workers perform their duties. In the raw-making room, the dough is weighed, stuffed and rounded, and the pressing plate is shaped and demoulded. In the cooked room, low-temperature baking, high-temperature baking, taking out and drying, and the packaging area are quickly packed and shipped. The whole process is in an orderly manner.
As Shanxi's characteristic intangible cultural heritage, the hollow mooncake production process is unique. After being baked at high temperatures, the crust expands and the sugar melts and adheres to the inner wall to form a hollow structure. This practice has been passed down for thousands of years and carries the food memory and cultural roots of the land of Sanjin. Wang Ying, the person in charge of the workshop, said that on the basis of the traditional sweet five-kernel hollow mooncakes, last year we innovatively made the old vinegar hollow mooncakes, which are stuffed with 6-degree old vinegar and honey. They have a balance of sweet and sour, and only smell the aroma of vinegar but not the sourness. They were well received by customers as soon as they were launched. This year, two new flavors of sea buckthorn and pepper leaf have been launched. The sea buckthorn flavor uses sea buckthorn puree in the crust, and the filling retains traditional brown sugar and various nuts, giving it a sweet and sour flavor. The pepper leaf flavor uses freshly picked pepper leaves in the filling to create a salty flavor, which is also very popular.
"Sanjin Yingjie" intangible cultural heritage workshop. Photo by Cui Lixia
"On weekdays, there are constant orders, but recently I have been extremely busy." Wang Ying said, "Only with good skills and good ingredients can we make good products, which is the basis for continued sales." The workshop has always adhered to traditional craftsmanship, carefully selected ingredients, and made with care, turning "craftsmanship" into "keeping skills", winning continued favor from the market, and sales increasing year by year.
Nowadays, hollow mooncakes have become a seasonal food during the Mid-Autumn Festival and have become a stable product produced in workshops all year round and in short supply. They have successfully moved from "Internet celebrity" to "everlasting popularity". "Recently, there have been a lot of wholesales and mailings, and they have been sold to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an and other places. The old vinegar flavor and sea buckthorn flavor are the best sellers. The catering center of Taiyuan Wusu Airport has also placed an order for regular delivery." Wang Ying said. (over)
