China News Service, Lishui, March 24th: Title: Zhejiang Shaobing: A Jinyun City, half of the city is fragrant with Shaobing
Author Shao Yanfei, Zhou Jian, Xia Xia
Knead the dough, fill it with stuffing, sprinkle some sesame seeds, and brush it with sugar and oil. With a "chi" sound, the dough dough sticks firmly to the biscuit oven... Take a bite of the Jinyun sesame biscuit after it comes out of the oven, and just listen. With a "crunch", his mouth was already full of saliva. Savor it carefully, the skin is crispy and the inside is soft and waxy.
Some time ago, CNN published an article introducing "The 50 Most Delicious Breads in the World", and Chinese sesame cakes were among the list. As for the best among Chinese sesame cakes, it must be Jinyun sesame cakes from Jinyun County, Lishui, Zhejiang.
Jinyun Shaobing. Photo courtesy of Jinyun County
Jinyun Shaobing has a long history. According to legend, Huangdi Xuanyuan kneaded noodles from mountain springs in the immortal capital of Jinyun and baked them in a Dan furnace. The baked cakes were golden in color and fragrant. Later, the local people followed suit and used bamboo wood as the outer barrel and kiln soil as the inner wall to make a burning barrel, specially used for baking cakes.
According to ancient records, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, went to Jinyun during the war and ate Jinyun sesame cakes, and he could not forget the taste. Later, when Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he sent people to Jinyun to find the old master and take him to the palace to make sesame cakes for him.
"The furnace has been passed down for thousands of generations, and the cakes are fragrant for five thousand years." Nowadays, in Jinyun City, half of the city is fragrant with the fragrance of baking cakes. Whether it is a demonstration shop of sesame cakes in the county, a main store of sesame cakes in the 5A-level scenic spot in Xiandu, or an inconspicuous shop in the streets, as long as you follow the aroma and take a seat at will, the delicious sesame cakes will never disappoint diners.
Ding Xingsheng, deputy director of the Jinyun Shaobing Office and president of the Jinyun Shaobing Association, said in an interview that the making technique of Jinyun Shaobing is China’s national intangible cultural heritage. The essence of its deliciousness lies in the rich salty aroma of Jinyun dried vegetables and the crust. The attractive appearance of roasted until golden brown, and this kind of soul is all created by the local customs of Jinyun - the local mustard variety "Nine-leaf Nine-Headed Mustard" is selected, and is marinated with traditional low-salt salt and steamed and sun-dried three times. Dried Jinyun vegetables are made; the unique local "908" wheat is selected, and the mature seed particles are ground into flour to make the cake base.
The chefs who have been making sesame biscuits all year round are very precise and precise. When the temperature of the core wall of the sesame biscuit barrel reaches about 200°C, the side of the biscuit dough that is not coated with sugar oil is coated with water and quickly adhered to the furnace wall. The white dough slowly expands, turns yellow, and becomes crispy after being baked at high temperature... After about four or five minutes, the aroma bursts out.
The Shaobing master bakes Jinyun Shaobing. Photo courtesy of Jinyun County
"The dough of Jinyun Shaobing is fermented from old flour and is completely natural. Making Shaobing seems simple, but it is very particular. Every step of the ingredients, dough mixing, baking, etc. is closely linked, so there is no room for sloppiness. ." Zhao Yijun, the "chief instructor" of Jinyun Shaobing, who has devoted himself to studying the art of Shaobing for 36 years, said in an interview that just like kneading noodles, the fermentation time must be controlled based on weather factors and timely adjustments should be made.
Nowadays, Jinyun Shaobing chefs are inventing new ones. Various "novel" flavors such as Durian Shaobing, Beef Shaobing, Salted Egg Yolk Shaobing, etc. are emerging one after another to satisfy the taste buds of diners. At the same time, small sesame biscuits have also "eated" into a big industry. In 2023, the total output value of Jinyun sesame biscuits will reach 3.48 billion yuan.
According to Ding Xingsheng, Jinyun established the "Shaobing Office" (Jinyun Shaobing Brand Building Leading Group and its Office) in 2014 to specifically support the development of the Shaobing industry. The local area has also set up "professional courses" to systematically teach sesame biscuits. Over the years, a total of 11,577 Jinyun sesame biscuit masters have been trained, and the number of Jinyun sesame biscuit practitioners has reached 24,000.
The aroma of sesame cakes fills the world with traces of "nostalgia". According to statistics, Jinyun Shaobing has opened more than 8,000 stores across China, and brand branches are also located in more than ten countries and regions including the United States, Italy, and Australia.
German students experience making Jinyun Shaobing. Photo by Lu Dingyin
From "roadside stalls" to "brand stores", from "small counties" to "big cities", from "making a living" to "getting rich", Jinyun Shaobing has come a long way, showing the concept of "one industry prospers hundreds of industries" The good situation has also accelerated the common development of the entire industry chain such as Jinyun dried vegetables, mustard planting, Jinyun sesame cake barrels, stove cores, and supply of raw and auxiliary materials, becoming Zhejiang Province's leading specialty catering industry and a model for helping farmers increase income.
Carrying the fireworks of the world, Jinyun Shaobing will continue to write a delicious legend on the tip of the tongue. (over)