Food is closely related to the prosperity of a place. People in developed areas tend to have access to a variety of cuisines with unique charms and rich cultures. Due to the prosperity brought by grain transport, today’s Yaowan Ancient Town retains much of its delicacies. In this fragrant spring, Yaowan presents its distinctive flavors.
Sweet oil is a special condiment in Yaowan. It is similar to soy sauce, but with a fresher taste. Sip the oil and you will be overwhelmed by its sweetness. Selected soybeans are mixed with flour to be processed, fermented, and poured into an urn. They are then mixed into water and salt for concentration and exposure to sunlight for 180 days. The urn used for brewing sweet oil is also quite interesting. The Zhao Xinlong Sauce Garden Store in the town is occupied by such urns, with more than 200 of them neatly arranged in its backyard. Each urn is wearing a conical bamboo hat that shields the sweet oil brewed inside from wind and rain. It is said that these urns have stood here quietly for more than 300 years.
But it is worth the wait. Sweet oil is incredibly fresh and ten times more delicious than common flavor enhancers. It could be used to dress raw fish, shrimp, and vegetables, adding an excellent taste. Meanwhile, sweet oil is good for health, as traditional Chinese medicine believes that some of its ingredients will replenish the body’s essential fluids and are beneficial to the kidney and stomach as well as blood pressure control. Most of the elderly in Yaowan live long, which is probably because they are used to have sweet oil all year round.
The Flavor of Sauces – Seasoning Sauces
Yaowan also features various sauces with different flavors. Chinese have a long history of sauces, which showcase the peak of the country’s fermentation technology. Again in the Sauce Culture Exhibition Hall of Zhao Xinlong Sauce Garden Store, you will see all kinds of sauces. Here you get to know the story of the soybean or a grain of wheat and peep into how the ancient Chinese applied their wisdom to transform these ordinary grains into delicious and nutritious bean sauces and sweet flour sauces on a dining table.
Nowadays, as a supporting role on the dining table of every house, sauces make the taste of dishes more fascinating. Meanwhile, sauce represents a form of culture. It is said that during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) in China, Jian Zhen, a Chinese monk, traveled to Japan and introduced Chinese sauce making technology. After communication and innovation, sauce gradually became a part of the local cuisine and formed a different sauce culture with Japanese characteristics.
The Flavor of Wine – Mung Bean Wine
Mung bean wine is a type of local wine drunk for health in Yaowan. It has little to do with mung bean but was named as such because of its similar color to the bean soup. The Huatang Wine Store (Mung Bean Wine Exhibition Hall) in the town is now still making this kind of wine. High-quality liquor is usually used as the base to be mixed into various Chinese herbal medicines such as Wurfbainia villosa, sweet osmanthus, and Eucommia ulmoides, as well as honey and crystal sugar. The sweet and bitter taste will amaze the drinker and bring them mixed sentiments.
There is a folk tale regarding mung bean wine. During one of his inspection trips to the south, the Qianlong Emperor, on his way back to Beijing, passed through Yaowan. Seeing merchant ships crowding back and forth, he was much impressed and excited by the prosperity. The accompanying officials thus ordered several dishes and wine from a restaurant. Seeing the green color of the wine in the cup, the emperor asked curiously, “Is this tea or wine?” The official replied, “This is mung bean wine, a specialty in Yaowan. It is not available in the palace.” The emperor tasted the wine which turned out to be quite good. The mung bean wine of Yaowan has since become a royal wine in the Imperial Palace.
An irresistible meal is always inseparable from inviting food and fine wine. Food reminds one of the tastes of a place, while wine preserves the memory of stories that happened there. Sweet or salty, the distinctive flavors of local sauces linger shortly in the mouth and then go with the wind. Raise a wine cup and share interesting tales about a journey to express infinite joy beyond a limited space. Here with the flavors of Yaowan, delicacies come across the local culture on the tip of your tongue.
