Black Water Corn Flatbread

Black Water Corn Flatbread

　　Black Water Corn Flatbread is a specialty snack from Heishui County in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The corn flatbread comes in two types: steamed and roasted. It is crispy, nutritious, and a natural green food.

　　The method of making Heishui Corn Flatbread: For steamed flatbread, no steamer is used. Instead, about half the iron pot is filled with water, and bamboo sticks or tree branches are placed horizontally and vertically about two inches above the water level, with a layer of wheat straw laid on top. Once the water boils, the flatbread made from cornmeal mixed with warm water is placed on the straw inside the pot, then covered with another iron pot. After steaming for half an hour, the flatbread is ready to eat. Another way to steam it is to put a small amount of water at the bottom of the pot, press the prepared flatbread against the inner wall of the pot exposed above the water, cover tightly, and after about half an hour, once the water at the bottom has evaporated, the flatbread will have a golden, crispy crust that is both delicious and uniquely flavorful. As for roasted corn flatbread, the prepared flatbread is placed in the fireplace and buried in the hot ashes, turned over several times until cooked. It becomes fragrant, sweet, and has a distinctive taste.