Hepu mooncake [a specialty of Hepu, Guangxi]

What is Hepu mooncake? Authentic Guangxi Hepu specialty: Hepu mooncake

Content summary:Do you want to know what Hepu mooncake is? This article is a detailed introduction toGuangxi Hepu specialty - Hepu mooncake. It was compiled and edited by the editorial team of China Specialty Network after reviewing and collecting relevant information on Hepu mooncakes. The full text takes about 10 minutes to read, mainly including the basic introduction of Hepu mooncakes and the product characteristics of Hepu mooncakes? How did the history of Hepu mooncakes come about? The production method of Hepu mooncakes and the awards and honors of Hepu mooncakes

Basic introduction of Hepu mooncakes

Hepu is rich in olive kernels, black haired earth pigs, sea pigs, white sugar, honey, etc., which are the main ingredients for making Hepu mooncakes.

. The traditional craftsmanship and climate characteristics of Hepu County are more suitable for producing large mooncakes. When festivals come, people will make large mooncakes to celebrate, and some mooncakes even weigh 168 pounds. In addition, Hepu people insist on selecting high-quality raw materials and not adding spices or pigments when making large mooncakes to ensure the high quality of Hepu mooncakes. For example, the barbecued pork in mooncake filling is made from locally produced black pigs, with the addition of local specialties such as chicken mouth lychee honey and local liquor. After slow roasting over low heat, the moisture in the meat is extracted and made in secret

1. Morphological characteristics:

Hepu mooncakes have a single cake net content of ≥ 500 grams and typical characteristics of this variety. The appearance is full, the surface is slightly convex, the contour is distinct, the product name and pattern are clear, and there is no obvious shrinkage, cracking, tilting, collapse, or leakage of filling

2. Color and odor:

The cake surface is brownish yellow or golden with a slight reddish tint, with a uniform color. The waist is milky yellow or yellow, and the bottom is brownish yellow without burning, with a normal mooncake aroma

3. Organizational characteristics:

The crust is thick, thin, and uniform, with distinct skin centers on the cross section. The size of the nuts is moderate and even, and the size of the char siu is moderate, without any undercooked or sugar cubes

4. Taste and Taste:

The crust is soft and non stick, the nuts are crispy and delicious, the char siu is moderately salty and sweet, the meat is tight and easy to chew, and it has the flavor that this variety should have, without any peculiar smell

Hepu mooncakes gradually emerged in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. "Watching the moon at night in August and eating mooncakes" is a record of "Hepu mooncakes" in the revised "Lianzhou Prefecture Annals" in the 13th year of the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang reign, which dates back 186 years; The official name of Hepu mooncake has a history of over 110 years. According to records, Hakka people began to migrate to Hepu during the Song and Yuan dynasties, settling in undeveloped mountainous areas and living in extremely difficult conditions. In order to make moon cakes to worship their ancestors during the Mid Autumn Festival, the Hakka people in Hepu came up with a method to make moon cakes by collecting raw materials from each family: rice with rice, sugar with sugar and oil, eggs with eggs, beans with beans, and then put the collected materials together to select skilled villagers to make big moon cakes. After the mooncakes are made, they are gathered on the night of Mid Autumn Festival to worship ancestors, and then sent back to each household in proportion to share the festival. Several households gather together to eat. Hepu mooncakes were derived in this way, and the tradition of mooncakes has been passed down accordingly

Method of making Hepu mooncakes

1. Making of ham filling with Wuren mooncakes

2. The weight of the mooncake skin must be strictly weighed, and each skin must be made of the same size and thickness

3. Each large mooncake must be made manually because machines are not as uniform as manual labor, and Wu Ren is prone to puncturing the thin skin of the cake. We make mooncakes with care to ensure that they are of good quality and value for money

4. To complete a large mooncake, it is necessary to bake it three times and brush the eggs three times, and the skills of brushing the eggs are also exquisite

5. The oven is divided into three layers and a rotary oven, which are used to meet the baking requirements of mooncakes of different sizes<6. Observe how the staff put the mooncakes into the rotary oven

7. The mooncakes have been baked and need to be taken to the cooling workshop for cooling before being vacuum packaged

Awards and honors for Hepu mooncakes

Hepu County in Beihai City is renowned for producing mooncakes and is known as the "hometown of mooncakes"

"Small cakes are like chewing the moon, with crispness and sweetness in them." This is a poem sung by Su Dongpo about Hepu mooncakes

In 2021, the "Hepu Big Mooncake" won the Silver Award in the Specialty Snack category at the "Guangxi Flavor · Hundred Counties and Thousand Vegetables" Guangxi Intangible Cultural Heritage Specialty Food Competition