Hakka flavor·Origin of Tai Po
Among the green mountains and green waters of northeastern Guangdong, Tai Po is like a pearl placed at the source of the Han River. It is not only a "famous snack county in China", but also a museum where Hakka food culture exists. In the late autumn of 2018, a feast about taste and scenery kicked off in the county town. Tourists from the Pearl River Delta and local villagers gathered together to witness this annual event called the "Daibu Food Tourism and Culture Festival". Mr. Liang, a tourist from Qingyuan, said, "Beautiful scenery, great snacks", which expresses the most simple charm of this mountain city in eastern Guangdong - here, every snack is the result of the landscape and humanities.
Thousand-year-old incense ·Central Plains legacy
The feelings that Dabu people have for "粲" are deeply rooted in their blood. The food styles with various changes and forms derived from rice are the taste testimony of the Hakka people's migration to the south. In the venue of the opening ceremony, thirty exhibition positions were arranged in sequence. When the heat was rising, the delicious smell of the fillings was exuded from the fillings, which were as thin as cicada wings. The outer skin of the bamboo shoots was crystal clear, vaguely revealing the crispy diced bamboo shoots and minced meat inside. The Meizhou Zanzhou family, which has been awarded the title of "China's Gold Medal Tourism Snack", has different types, including mouse cakes, abacus balls, and bamboo shoots cakes. With their unique shapes and tastes, they tell the Hakka people's wisdom of survival in the mountains.
The chef demonstrated his production skills on the spot. He quickly turned the soaked early brown rice with his hands and ground it into a thick slurry. He scooped the thick slurry into a special "粄粿" and gently wiped it on the boiling water in the cauldron. The rice slurry immediately solidified into a strip with a pointed head, a pointed tail and a round "rat rice cake" in the middle. This snack, named after its shape, tastes smooth and elastic. When mixed with scallion oil and minced meat, it is the most common breakfast that Dabu people eat and feels most at ease. On the side, something called duck pine soup exudes a simple and sweet fragrance. This traditional dessert is made from duck eggs, potato starch, and brown sugar.
A blend of flavors and unique ingenuity
Any gourmet will be shocked by the astonishing abundance of snacks in Dabu. According to statistics, there are more than 200 kinds of specialty snacks with Central Plains flavor that have been preserved so far, of which more than 10 kinds have been rated as "Chinese Famous Snacks", and the number of "Guangdong Famous Snacks" is as many as 15 kinds. Behind this, there are handicrafts passed down from generation to generation and the ultimate pursuit of the original taste of the ingredients. Take pearl cake as an example. It has particles the size of rice grains. These particles need to be kneaded by hand, and each particle must be even and full. After steaming, it will appear crystal clear and look like pearls. It has a texture that is both tough and soft. When fried together with dried shrimps and mushrooms, it is a double enjoyment of sight and taste.
In the exhibition area, visitors can not only measure the delicious food with the tip of their tongues, but also experience the fun of making it in person. Under the guidance of the snack-making master, pairs of unfamiliar hands began to try to wrap the abacus. First, they kneaded the taro paste and tapioca flour evenly, then rolled it into a small ball, and then gently pinched it with their thumb and index finger, so that it became a sunken shape in the middle, resembling an abacus bead. This snack with the meaning of "spending wisely" can be either stir-fried or mixed with sesame oil and eaten after cooking. The taro aroma is very rich and the taste is chewy. It carries the Hakka family tradition of thrift and diligence.
Integration of Culture and Tourism·Living Inheritance
As Chen Weiping, member of the Standing Committee of the Dabu County Party Committee and Minister of the Publicity Department, said, the purpose of organizing the Food Tourism Culture Festival is to "inherit and promote Dabu snack culture and enhance its popularity and competitiveness." In recent years, Dabu has identified cultural tourism as one of the four leading industries, and has fully carried out work around "red, green, and antique". It has also issued implementation opinions on accelerating the development of the cultural tourism industry and provided special incentives and support to the snack industry. Through the construction of Dabu Snack Cultural City, owners inside and outside the county have been mobilized to apply to open "Dabu Snack" brand stores. This Hakka food pearl is gradually forming a new pattern of industrialization and branding.
The opening ceremony was called the "Big Eater Challenge" and there was a lot of cheers and excitement. Almost 2,000 tourists came from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other places. They followed the aroma of the food to explore and inquire about the nearby ancient villages and tea gardens. This is not only a carnival of tasting delicious food, but also a process of in-depth exploration of the origin of culture. When tourists remember the crispy texture of pancakes, the delicious taste of bamboo shoots, and the sweet taste of duck pine soup, the landscape of Tai Po is closely connected with these tastes and becomes an inseparable whole.
Let a grain of rice transform and then realize the inheritance of a culture. The authentic Dabu snacks are quietly writing a new chapter of Hakka flavor. These flavors originating from the Central Plains and deeply rooted in Nanling will inevitably spread to thousands of miles away as Chen Weiping expected, causing more people to follow the taste and linger because of the taste.
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