Three Delicacies of Jingu

Three Delicacies of Jingu

　　The "Three Delicacies of Jingu" refer to Elder Chen’s smoked meats, Elder Gao’s shumai, and Elder Tao’s big cake. The first two elders have since passed away, but Elder Tao, the inheritor of the big cake, is still hard at work.

　　　　The Jingu big cake is white and thin, can be rolled up, and will spring back when released. It can even be lit with a single match, hence it is also called the Magnolia Cake. A simple rice cake has earned such fame simply because it uses meticulously selected ingredients, is crafted with refined skill, and follows time-honored family methods. The production process of the Jingu big cake is as follows:

　　　　1. Select rice grown with natural fertilizers, such as “Tuantoubai” and “Shanghai Glutinous.” Wash the rice clean and dry it. Stir-fry it with red cane sugar, then grind the cooked rice into fine rice flour. Sift the flour through a fine sieve to ensure it is smooth and uniform, removing any impurities, then spread it out on a clean mat. Mix in washed carrots to soften the rice flour until it becomes fluffy. After about a month, the carrots will have shriveled like small dried twigs, having transferred all their nutrients into the rice flour.

　　　　2. Make the sugar syrup. Melt about 40% colored white sugar with a small amount of water, then mix in 60% premium hot lard. Place the mixture in a large vat and stir it evenly using a bamboo pole over a meter long until it becomes a white, paste-like oil-sugar mixture.

　　　　3. Prepare the cake on the workbench. Once all preparations are complete, mix the rice flour and oil-sugar mixture in a specific ratio and knead them together evenly. Add some ingredients such as green sour plums, red and green threads, mixed nuts, and osmanthus. Spread the mixture onto a tin tray and place it in a warm water pot to simmer. This allows the oil-sugar and rice flour to slowly meld together. This is the crucial step in making the cake. If the water temperature is too high and the cake is removed too quickly, it will clump; if the temperature is too low, the cake will be crumbly and not sticky, falling apart when cut.

　　　　4. Slice the cake. Slicing the cake is an important measure of craftsmanship. The slices must be neat, even, and thin, perfectly aligned. A skilled craftsman can slice one strip of cake into 300 pieces. In recent years, the production of Jingu big cake has continued to increase, and its market has expanded. It is now supplied not only within the city and county but also to other provinces and cities.