Yuanping maye (fried dough twist) is a local specialty. Its preparation is a little bit complicated. The ingredients must include superfine flour, baking powder and sugar, plus oil, salt, alkali and alum. First add wa...Yuanping maye (fried dough twist) is a local specialty. Its preparation is a little bit complicated. The ingredients must include superfine flour, baking powder and sugar, plus oil, salt, alkali and alum. First add water, according to a ratio, to the flour to mix and knead it into a soft dough; then cut it into small pieces weighing about half a liang (25 grams). Stretch two pieces and twist them around twice. Put them into the wok with oil to fry to a crispy golden color. Then serve. Generally local flaxseed oil is used and now it is being replaced by salad oil. As Yuanping is an agricultural county, this traditional craft of making maye is an important source of income for local people and also an effective way for them to get rich. This craft gained popularity toward the end of the Qing dynasty, and has been practiced for well over one hundred years. But due to ravages of wars, this skill was all but lost when the People’s Republic of China was just founded. However, along with the socialist construction and reform and opening, this craft has found conditions favorable for its rejuvenation, as it became gradually matured in the 90s of last century and has now reached a considerable scale.展开更多
A dry-farming county in north China, Shouyang is famous for its cereals produce and a myriad of uniquely flavored local delicacies, like spiced dry tofu, well-baked cakes, and haricot bean jelly, to name just a few. O...A dry-farming county in north China, Shouyang is famous for its cereals produce and a myriad of uniquely flavored local delicacies, like spiced dry tofu, well-baked cakes, and haricot bean jelly, to name just a few. Of all these snacks, "tea food" is the most popular. "Tea food" is shaped like a crispy-skinned moon cake with a thickness of three or 4 centimeters. It tastes delicious and delectable with fillings sweetish but not cloying. And it is indeed an ideal food for breakfast. Whenever the Spring Festival is around the corner, Shouyang people are always busy making "tea food" by themselves. It is eaten as a special treat at wedding ceremonies or on red letter days; it is also offered as a sacrifice in ancestral or God worshipping rituals. Through thousand years of transformation and improvement, Shouyang’s "tea food" has become a locally beloved representative food that almost every household can make.展开更多
文摘Yuanping maye (fried dough twist) is a local specialty. Its preparation is a little bit complicated. The ingredients must include superfine flour, baking powder and sugar, plus oil, salt, alkali and alum. First add water, according to a ratio, to the flour to mix and knead it into a soft dough; then cut it into small pieces weighing about half a liang (25 grams). Stretch two pieces and twist them around twice. Put them into the wok with oil to fry to a crispy golden color. Then serve. Generally local flaxseed oil is used and now it is being replaced by salad oil. As Yuanping is an agricultural county, this traditional craft of making maye is an important source of income for local people and also an effective way for them to get rich. This craft gained popularity toward the end of the Qing dynasty, and has been practiced for well over one hundred years. But due to ravages of wars, this skill was all but lost when the People’s Republic of China was just founded. However, along with the socialist construction and reform and opening, this craft has found conditions favorable for its rejuvenation, as it became gradually matured in the 90s of last century and has now reached a considerable scale.
文摘A dry-farming county in north China, Shouyang is famous for its cereals produce and a myriad of uniquely flavored local delicacies, like spiced dry tofu, well-baked cakes, and haricot bean jelly, to name just a few. Of all these snacks, "tea food" is the most popular. "Tea food" is shaped like a crispy-skinned moon cake with a thickness of three or 4 centimeters. It tastes delicious and delectable with fillings sweetish but not cloying. And it is indeed an ideal food for breakfast. Whenever the Spring Festival is around the corner, Shouyang people are always busy making "tea food" by themselves. It is eaten as a special treat at wedding ceremonies or on red letter days; it is also offered as a sacrifice in ancestral or God worshipping rituals. Through thousand years of transformation and improvement, Shouyang’s "tea food" has become a locally beloved representative food that almost every household can make.
