Yellow Flaky Sugar

Yellow Flaky Sugar

　　0 sugar is one of the traditional products of the county, with a history of over 300 years. It has long been famous for its unique style. Its characteristics are: the sugar pieces are thin and crisp, both sides are bright yellow with a waxy sheen, there is a white powdery filling in the middle, the three lines are clearly defined, the texture is neither too soft nor too hard, the taste is sweet and fragrant, the moisture content is low, and it can be stored for a very long time.

0 sugar is warm in nature and has nourishing effects. It is not only an excellent nutritional product for postpartum women and children, but also a high-quality ingredient for making candies, pastries, and cookie fillings. It is mainly produced in Shazi, Ertang, Fuxing and other townships (towns) within the county, especially in Shazi, where the quality of 0 sugar is the best.

Before liberation, 0 sugar was already being exported from the county. In the 24th year of the Republic of China (1935), the export volume reached 61.25 tons. After liberation, the sugarcane planting area in the county gradually expanded. Especially since the 1960s, with the introduction and promotion of a series of new high-quality sugarcane varieties such as "Indian Cane," "Taiwan Sugar," and "Guibo," the planting area rapidly expanded and production greatly increased. After 1970, the county planted over 10,000 mu of sugarcane every year, and the commercial sector averaged about 500 tons of 0 sugar purchased annually. In 1974, the county planted 12,640 mu of sugarcane, and that year 1,963.6 tons of 0 sugar were purchased. Thereafter, due to the focus on grain production, the sugarcane planting area decreased, so the annual purchase volume of 0 sugar was only about 250 tons. After the county sugar factory went into operation in 1984, most of the sugarcane was used for sugar extraction (white sugar) by mills, leading to a sharp decline in the county’s 0 sugar production. In 1990, the annual production of 0 sugar in the county was around 800 tons. In addition to local consumption, it was mainly sold to neighboring counties as well as Hunan, Guangdong, and other regions.