China News Service, Ningde, February 15th (Huang Zinuan and Wu Hongjun) As the largest She ethnic minority inhabited area in the country, Ningde City, Fujian Province has retained a strong She ethnic customs to this day. During the Spring Festival, when we step into Jinhan She Nationality Township in Jiaocheng District, Ningde City, the villagers eat black rice and sing She songs, hoping that everything will go well in the coming year.
Introduced from the Tang Dynasty, the She people’s black rice has been fragrant for thousands of years. In addition to the She people’s traditional festival “March 3”, eating black rice during the New Year also brings good luck to having food all year round. "Wu rice is the taste of family and reunion." Mr. Lin, a local villager, said that when family members get together during festivals, they will eat black rice. It is sweet in the mouth and hopes that the life will be sweet.
In the production workshop of Fujian Shanha Wufan Food Co., Ltd., Lan Jinliang (left) and workers are making black rice. Photo courtesy of Jiaocheng District Media Center
As the name suggests, black rice is black in color, fragrant and sweet, and the essence of its "black" origin lies in black rice leaves. In recent days, at the Fujian Shanha Wufan Food Co., Ltd. located in Jinhan She Nationality Township, workers wearing standardized disinfection clothing are crushing Wu Nin leaves in preparation for making Wu Nin rice.
I saw workers adding the pounded black glutinous rice leaves to clean water. After the water and leaves were fully dissolved, they were filtered to become a natural dye for glutinous rice. Then they were soaked and left to color, and "black rice" was ready.
Workers are making black rice in the production workshop of Fujian Shanha Wufan Food Co., Ltd. Photo courtesy of Jiaocheng District Media Center
"The appearance of the She nationality's black rice is worthy of its name. The rice grains are crystal clear, the taste is mellow, fragrant and waxy, delicate and delicious. This is exactly where its four characteristics of 'black, bright, crystal and fragrant' lie, thus becoming a dish. Food rich in national characteristics." Lan Jinliang, the person in charge of Fujian Shanhawu Rice Food Co., Ltd., told a reporter from China News Service.
In Jinhan She Nationality Township, many She people can make black rice, but most of them are in the form of small family workshops, with single products and meager profits. Moreover, traditional black rice has a short shelf life, which is not conducive to standardization and large-scale production. How can more people understand and taste this unique She family delicacy?
Various She ethnic minority rice products. Photo courtesy of Jiaocheng District Media Center
"We have reformed the traditional production process and solved technical problems such as ready-to-eat and taste." Lan Jinliang said that the processed black rice has become more convenient to eat, and the shelf life can reach 6 months, "allowing consumers to enjoy it all year round. You can taste black rice.”
Lan Jinliang’s live broadcast introduces products related to She ethnic black rice. Photo courtesy of Jiaocheng District Media Center
From a "small workshop" to a standard, scientific and standardized production workshop, the process is not easy. Through continuous efforts, in May 2014, Fujian Shanha Wufan Food Co., Ltd. obtained the country's first "Enterprise Food Production License" for Wufan. At the same time, the company also conducts authoritative nutritional composition testing and toxicology testing on black rice to ensure that customers can eat it with confidence.
After solving the production problem, how to further open up the market and let more people accept Wufan has become a new problem. Lan Jinliang told reporters that for today's young people, what they need most from food is convenience and speed, and it is not easy for intangible inherited skills such as the She people's black rice to enter the modern society.
In order to gain a foothold in the market, the company developed many new "recipes" based on Wu Rice, with the main idea of "ready-to-eat products", and with the help of scientific research institutions such as Fuzhou University and Zhejiang University, such as Wu Rice Burger. , straw bag black rice, bamboo tube black rice, black rice cake, black rice crispy rice, black rice rice dumplings, etc., to meet the market consumer demand with product diversification.
At the same time, through the traditional festivals of the She people such as "March 3rd", the local area, based on the characteristic culture of the She people and the unique charm of She township, deeply explores the connotation of national cultural resources, constantly gives cultural connotation to Wufan, increases publicity efforts, and enhances its added value.
"From small workshops to modern production, from zero standards to industrial standards, we deeply feel that the inheritance of old skills has a long way to go." Lan Jinliang said that inheriting intangible cultural heritage food is a long road, and we will continue to innovate and innovate in the future. Continuously develop, expand the scale of the industry, and promote the inheritance of She nationality’s intangible cultural heritage delicacies. (over)