Mai Tian Sugar Melon

Mai Tian Sugar Melon

　　Mai Tian Sugar Melon (maltose candy) has long been famous. Legend has it that during the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, a farmer surnamed Bo from Mai Tian Village in Gaocun Town traveled to the northeast and learned the technique for making maltose. After returning home, he organized his clan to establish a small workshop for making maltose sugar melons, producing them every winter when farm work was slack. Later, farmers surnamed Yin and Yuan in the village also learned how to make the sugar melons. Initially, barley and millet were used as ingredients, but later these were replaced with corn, sorghum, sweet potato, or rice.

　　　　Mai Tian Sugar Melon is sweet, crispy, and melts in the mouth. It became well-known throughout eastern Shandong as early as the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were six sugar-making workshops in operation, employing over 50 people. After the liberation, the sugar-making techniques in Mai Tian Village continued to improve. The produced maltose syrup had a high concentration, and was sweet and aromatic, making it an ideal seasoning for various pastries, liqueurs, soy sauces, and other side foods. Mai Tian Sugar Melon was favored not only by locals but also sold in large quantities to Weihai, Yantai, Qingdao, Rongcheng, and other areas. In 1990, there were nine sugar workshops, employing over 120 workers, with an annual production of 15,000 kilograms of sugar melons. It became an important side business for local farmers to achieve prosperity. It is now listed as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage.