Longkou vermicelli, a traditional food from Yantai City, Shandong Province, has won wide acclaim from consumers at home and abroad for its unique production technology and excellent quality. As a famous geographical indication agricultural product in China, Longkou fans not only bear rich historical and cultural heritage, but also become an important representative of Chinese food culture with their excellent quality.

Historical origin

The history of Longkou vermicelli can be traced back to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, when Zhaoyuan people created a new skill of mung bean vermicelli. With the advantages of geographical environment and climate, Zhaoyuan fans quickly emerged and became famous for their "uniform silk strips, flexible texture, smooth and transparent". In 1860, Zhaoyuan fans began to be shipped through Longkou Port. In order to distinguish them from fans in other parts of Yantai, the words "Longkou fans" were marked on the packaging, hence the name. After hundreds of years of development, Longkou fans have gradually expanded to Longkou, Penglai, Laizhou and other places, becoming an important local industry.

Quality characteristics

Longkou vermicelli is famous for its unique quality characteristics. Its silk strips are even and thin, pure and bright, neat and flexible, white and transparent. When cooking, it is soft when entering the water, and it will not break after a long time of cooking. It tastes tender and palatable, smooth and chewy. These characteristics benefit from Yantai's unique warm temperate continental monsoon climate, strict raw material screening and exquisite production technology. According to the current national standards, Longkou vermicelli does not use any additives in the production process, which ensures the naturalness and health of the product.

Manufacture craft

The production technology of Longkou vermicelli is complex and fine, and it has very strict requirements on raw materials, water quality, climate and environment. Traditional manual production technology mainly includes three main processes: pushing powder, leaking powder and airing, involving more than a dozen processes. The labor used includes stone mill, clay jar, iron pot, powder basin, etc. Among them, the extraction of starch by acid pulp is the key technology of Longkou vermicelli production, and this technical principle is still difficult to be completely replaced by modern technology. The inheritance of traditional skills mainly depends on the oral communication between teachers and apprentices, and fewer and fewer people can master this skill, so it needs to be protected and passed on.

Honor and protection

Longkou fans have won many honors with their excellent quality and unique production technology. In the early 1980s, Zhaoyuan Longkou fans won the titles of quality products of many provinces, ministries and countries. In 2002, the former General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine approved the protection of "Longkou vermicelli" products of geographical origin. In 2014, the traditional production skills of Longkou fans were included in the list of representative projects of national intangible cultural heritage. These honors are not only the recognition of the quality of Longkou fans, but also the affirmation of their historical and cultural values.

Market influence

Longkou fans not only enjoy a high reputation in the domestic market, but also are exported to many overseas countries and regions. Zhaoyuan City is the largest production base of Longkou vermicelli in China, accounting for 70-80% of China's total output and export. With the accelerated pace of modern life, Longkou vermicelli production enterprises are constantly upgrading and innovating technology to improve production efficiency and product quality. At the same time, the popularity and reputation of Longkou fans have been further enhanced through online sales and the development of the tourism market.

Tag

Longkou vermicelli, as the bright pearl of China traditional cuisine, not only bears rich historical and cultural heritage, but also wins the love of domestic and foreign consumers with its excellent quality and unique production technology. In the future development, we have reason to believe that Longkou fans will continue to carry forward their traditional skills and cultural values and make greater contributions to the inheritance and development of Chinese food culture.