The birthplace of ceramics in the world is in China, and the ancient capital of Chinese ceramics is in Yixing. Yixing pottery culture has a long history. As early as the Neolithic Age, the ancestors of Yixing invented pottery. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, there were exquisite geometrically printed hard pottery and primitive celadon. The level of craftsmanship and technology was very mature. During the Qin and Han dynasties, glazed pottery Commonly fired. In the Song Dynasty, Yixing's purple sand products came out. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, ceramic production developed rapidly, and Yixing had become a well-known ceramic production place. For more than six thousand years, the diligent and intelligent people of Taodu have created a splendid pottery culture and unparalleled ceramic art. Known as the "Pearl of the Orient", Yixing ceramics are famous all over the world. The "five golden flowers" of purple clay, uniform pottery, fine pottery, celadon and painted pottery each have their own splendor. The unique purple clay pottery is even more unique in the world. "A jade pearl in the world is not as good as a ball of earth at the head of Yangxian River" is a wonderful portrayal of purple sand pottery.
Yixing purple clay pottery, which began in the Song Dynasty and matured in the Ming Dynasty, is the most distinctive among pottery and unique among the world's ceramic crafts. Purple clay pottery is famous at home and abroad for its unique shape, exquisite craftsmanship, simple and elegant color and excellent practical and collection functions. The main varieties of purple sand products include thousands of varieties such as pots, cups, bottles, basins, tripods, study room ornaments, rockery stone scenery, and figure sculptures. Among them, the purple clay teapot not only has high artistic value, but also has many unique advantages: because the surface of the teapot is not glazed, it has good air permeability, so the tea will not lose flavor when brewed, the tea will not discolor when stored, and it will not go rancid in midsummer. "The fragrance and flavor are all contained"; the longer the pot is used and the body is constantly rubbed, the smoother and more elegant the pot becomes, and the more mellow and fragrant the brewed tea becomes; it has good heat resistance, so the pot will not burst when boiling water is poured into it in the cold winter, and it can Simmer over low heat; the pot transfers heat slowly and does not feel hot when held in the hand.
The unique decorative craftsmanship of purple clay pottery is even more unique in pottery art. Various calligraphy, paintings, figures, flowers, insects, birds, animals, landscapes, etc. can be carved on purple clay pottery. A good purple clay pot has poems, inscriptions, and seals on it. Its national character and cultural characteristics make people love it. . Zisha craftsmanship has gone through several ups and downs, and Zisha artists have emerged in large numbers. The earliest famous purple clay artist in Yixing was Gongchun in the Ming Dynasty. He was born at the bottom of the society and served as the domestic boy of Wu Yishan, a Jinshi. Shi Dabin studied with Wu in Yixing; Chen Mingyuan, Yang Pengnian, Shao Daheng and Huang Yulin in the Qing Dynasty, In modern times, Gu Jingzhou pushed the purple clay craftsmanship to its peak. The famous purple clay pots "spread all over the world" and their value has reached a level that cannot be measured by gold.
The China Yixing Ceramics Museum, built in 1980, is the largest and only local ceramics museum in my country. It displays more than 10,000 kinds of ancient and modern famous pottery, each piece of which is gorgeous, ingenious and splendid. The epitome of culture. In recent years, Yixing's ceramic industry has developed by leaps and bounds, and its scientific and technological content has doubled. Ceramic products have been applied to all areas of social life. Magnificent glazed tile decorations, relief murals, high-end wall and floor tiles, ceramic handicrafts, etc. are all examples of my country's ceramic art. Weird. Since 1988, Yixing people have launched the China Yixing Ceramic Art Festival, which is held every two years and integrates art, economy, culture, science and technology, and tourism. With the purpose of "promoting ceramic art and culture and promoting steady economic development" Next, we will fully bring the open new Yixing into the 21st century.
Heqiao Dried Tofu is one of Yixing’s long-renowned specialties, with a history of more than 130 years. Because of its particularly delicious taste, it is famous far and wide. Even the emperor of the Qing Dynasty praised it as a delicacy in food and designated it as a tribute.
It is characterized by being dry and salty but not astringent, sweet but not greasy, fragrant but not tiresome, chewing carefully, fragrant, sweet and salty, and its taste is endless.
The production of Heqiao dried tofu is very demanding. From selected raw materials to refined products, it must go through the process of selecting beans, soaking them in water, filtering them, grinding them, boiling them with steam, skimming them, and pressing them. There are 12 steps including cutting the dish into pieces, boiling water and tossing, and then adding a special soup made of fennel, cinnamon, monosodium glutamate, sugar, soy sauce and other seasonings to simmer, allowing the flavors of various seasonings to penetrate. At the same time, because it is made under high pressure, it is not easily broken and has a long storage period.
People in both urban and rural areas use it as gifts for relatives and friends. In 1950, more than 100,000 kilograms of Yixing's specially made Heqiao dried tofu was specially shipped to North Korea to express condolences to the Chinese People's Volunteers, expressing the deep affection of the people in the motherland
Heqiao dried tofu
Heqiao Laoyou-spiced dried tofu was used as a tribute in the Qing Dynasty. Dried tofu is dark sauce color, shaped like a silver dollar, with a mesh pattern on the outside.
Its characteristics are careful selection of materials, fine production, firm texture and toughness, salty but not astringent, sweet but not greasy, fragrant but not bright, multi-flavored but moderate, chew carefully and slowly, with endless aftertaste. It is a great gift for relatives and friends, travel and dining. , a good drink to go with wine.
Heqiao Dried Tofu
Zhu Binpei
According to legend, more than 130 years ago, there was a Wansheng family in Heqiao Town, Yixing, Jiangsu Province
Jiangyuan shop makes square-shaped spiced and tender oil-dried tofu, which is famous for its delicious taste.
There is a steady stream of people coming to the store to buy dried tofu to drink with.
As early as the Qing Dynasty, there was an Anhui man named Mei Liqing. His whole family
was killed during the war. He came to Heqiao Town to make a living alone. He often bought a few pieces of dried tofu. , drink a cup of wine to cheer up.
Once in a while, he felt that the taste was not as good as before, so he asked the shopkeeper
about it. After hearing this, the shop owner contradicted him and said: "If you have the ability, just open a workshop by yourself!" Mei Liqing was so angry that she really opened a sauce garden. Named "Mei Yonghe Sauce Garden", it also produces soy sauce dried tofu, and vowed to surpass "Wansheng Sauce Garden".
Mei Liqing is smart and capable. He drew on the advantages of the tofu workshop in his hometown of Wuhu, Anhui Province
, paying attention to the selection of materials and exquisite production, and combined the methods of Wansheng Sauce Garden
The shape of five-spice tender oil dried tofu was changed to old oil dried tofu pressed in dried flowers.
The shape was changed from square to round. It was first packaged in small cattail bags and pressed into solid beans
Dry the curd and put it into a pot of water for a while, then turn the pot and boil, then add brown sugar
, rice wine, fennel, Kaiyang and other ingredients to cook, and finally take it out and soak it in the old beans< /p>
In autumn oil, rock sugar is added at the same time, and it is soaked for one month or even one year before being put on the market
for sale. The prepared dried tofu is as uniform in size as a silver dollar, translucent and dark brown in color,
solid and tough in texture, uniform in thickness, salty but not astringent, sweet but not greasy, and fragrant
It is not tiresome, and with the hemp-like pattern printed around it, it looks good and has good color, fragrance and taste
. By the time of Mei's son Mei Weizhong, Heqiao dried tofu reached its peak. In the late Qing Dynasty, local officials used it as a top-grade tribute to the court.
Nowadays, the production and selection of ingredients for Heqiao dried tofu are more sophisticated. It starts from the screening, impurity removal, soaking, grinding, cooking and filling of soybeans
***1 There are 9 processes
, many of which are mechanically operated, and only two or three processes are manually operated
. In terms of ingredients, in addition to the commonly used soy sauce, sugar, and fennel, cloves, refined salt, monosodium glutamate, kelp, cinnamon and other seasonings are also used. In terms of varieties, there are "Seafood Dried Tofu", "Kaiyang Dried Tofu", "Fresh and Spicy Dried Tofu", "Tar Dried Tofu", and "White Dried Tofu" For new varieties, we use sterilized and antiseptic vacuum flexible packaging.
Brief description
Dry and salty but not astringent, sweet but not greasy, fragrant but not tiresome, chew it carefully, fragrant, sweet and salty, its taste is endless
Relevant parameters
Detailed introduction
Heqiao dried tofu is one of Yixing’s long-renowned specialties, with a history of more than 130 years. Because of its particularly delicious taste, it is famous far and wide. Even the emperor of the Qing Dynasty praised it as a delicacy in food and designated it as a tribute. It is characterized by being dry but salty but not astringent, sweet but not greasy, fragrant but not boring, chewing carefully, fragrant, sweet and salty, and its flavor is endless. The production of Heqiao dried tofu is very demanding, from selected raw materials to refined products. , it needs to go through 12 steps such as selecting beans and soaking them, filtering them with water, grinding them, boiling them with steam, skimming them and dotting them, squeezing them with water, cutting them into pieces on a plate, and boiling them in boiling water. Then, they add fennel, cinnamon, The special soup made of MSG, sugar, soy sauce and other seasonings is simmered in water to allow the flavors of various seasonings to penetrate. At the same time, because it is made under high pressure, it is not easily broken and has a long storage period. People in both urban and rural areas use it as gifts for relatives and friends. In 1950, more than 100,000 kilograms of specially made Heqiao tofu in Yixing was specially shipped to North Korea to express condolences to the Chinese People's Volunteers, expressing the deep affection of the people of the motherland and hometown.