Yuedong Hand-Pulled Noodles

Yuedong Hand-Pulled Noodles

　　The southern wind blows daily, urging the pole; sometimes the northern breeze carries me along.

　　A bowl of soup noodles with silver threads tangled, and reed shoots like chopsticks alongside jade hairpins.

　　The “soup noodles” in Huang Tingjian’s poem “Passing Tushan Stockade” refer to hand-pulled noodles, known today as simply noodles. Hand-pulled noodles originated in China and have over four thousand years of history in both production and consumption. They are loved for their convenience and rich nutrition. The famous Su Dongpo once wrote, “I long to become a guest of the soup noodles.” This shows that in the great poet’s heart, “soup noodles” were as important as his timeless literary works.

　　Across China, there is a wide variety of regional noodle specialties, and our Cangxi naturally has something even better to offer, with Yuedong hand-pulled noodles standing out as the finest.

　　When it comes to the production history of Yuedong hand-pulled noodles, even the elders in the area can’t say for sure how many thousands of years it spans. But there is a story behind how Empress Wu Zetian helped make Yuedong noodles famous.

　　Legend has it that before entering the palace, the young Wu Zetian, then known as Mian Niang, had a childhood sweetheart named Chang Jianfeng. But imperial orders left them no choice but to part tearfully. Before leaving for the palace, the two hurriedly ate a bowl of noodles at a noodle shop to bid farewell. The weather was hot that day, and the noodles were steaming, making them hard to eat right away. Mian Niang had a clever idea—she rinsed the hot noodles with cold water, added seasonings, and the result was delicious. After entering the palace, Mian Niang often missed the noodles she shared with her lover. She ordered the imperial chefs to recreate them, but they never tasted the same. As empress, she searched far and wide and finally found the elderly couple who originally ran the noodle shop—they were from Yuedong in Lizhou. The old couple made the “cold noodles” again, and the taste was just as it had been. The empress shed tears of nostalgia. Upon further inquiry, she learned that Yuedong hand-pulled noodles had a unique recipe, different from those made in the Guanzhong region. The empress then had the imperial court try the noodles, and everyone praised them. From then on, Yuedong hand-pulled noodles from Lizhou and the empress’s chilled noodle dish became popular throughout the country.

　　The process of making Yuedong hand-pulled noodles includes grinding the flour, mixing the dough, forming the strands, placing them in a basin, sweating, pulling the noodles, hanging them, dividing them, and drying. Among these steps, mixing the dough is the most crucial. During the making of Yuedong noodles, an appropriate amount of salt is added to promote the binding of protein and starch molecules, which affects the formation of gluten. If the proportions are off, only inferior noodles will result. For this reason, for thousands of years, the master noodle makers of Yuedong have never dared to use machines for mixing. They trust only their hands and eyes—the viscosity created by the combination of flour, salt, and water has long been second nature to them.

　　Authentic Yuedong hand-pulled noodles are not greasy when cooked, and they are tender yet firm upon eating. As such, they are suitable for both hot soup noodles and the “chilled noodles” created by the empress. Today, Yuedong hand-pulled noodles come in a wide variety. By thickness, there are silver-thread noodles, dragon-whisker noodles, and jade-belt noodles; by added ingredients, there are fresh-egg noodles, corn noodles, scallion noodles, vegetable noodles, and more. Despite market prices reaching up to 8 yuan per jin, the demand always exceeds supply, leading to the rise of many local artisans dedicated to making these noodles. Take Xi Yuejian, heir to the five-generation Yuedong Xi family noodle-making tradition, as an example—one family alone provides jobs for over 80 households and more than 400 people. They operate in small family units within a professional cooperative model, with unified packaging and sales. We believe that in the near future, Yuedong hand-pulled noodles will surely make their way out of Sichuan and across the nation. (By Hu Bo)