? "Cucumber dried, green, delicious and crisp. Dedicated to the royal family as a tribute, Qianlong gave it the name "Dragon Tendon". This simple folk song is about the dried cucumber, a famous local product of my hometown Yangquan. How charming is the little cucumber jerky? Last summer, during the cucumber harvest season, I specially went to Hougou Village, the hometown of dried cucumbers at the foot of Guanshan Mountain in Pingding County, to look for the long-standing "Dragon tendon-dried cucumbers".
? Hougou Village, where my aunt's family is located, is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is shaded by trees. The unique regional climate and mellow water quality nourish rich vegetables and fruits. The cucumber planted here is unique and is a special variety cultivated by local farmers' uncles for a long time. Its appearance is smooth and spineless. Pure green color, less flesh, especially suitable for processing dried cucumber.
When I walked into my aunt's yard, the whole family was very busy, and they were fighting and laughing in the cucumber pile. In my aunt's authentic Pingding dialect, the cucumber jerky is affectionately called "jerky", and the production process becomes "scraping jerky", "breaking jerky", "shangganer" and "jerky". This tongue twister production process attracts me, so I can't help but join it and have a look. Just picked cucumbers with a length of about half a meter are the most suitable for making dried cucumbers. Everyone starts to scrape them dry around piles of selected cucumbers. You see that the knives in their hands are shaped like small sickles, which can scrape off the flesh and cut open the scraping strips. With the knives flying up and down, the green cucumbers are evenly divided and the unique clear fragrance is also coming. After scraping the melon skin, it is broken into strips. The most critical step is to bake the dried cucumber, that is, to put it on and dry it. The old uncle's expert made his debut. He told me that it takes a day and night to bake dried cucumbers. First, dry them. In a brick house of less than 1 square meters, heat waves are rolling in, and there are cobweb grills everywhere, which are densely covered with cucumber strips. The high temperature of 5 degrees makes the old uncle sweat. The rich yellow melon fragrance wafted in the brick house.
The old uncle in the brick house is working hard, and the old aunt in the kitchen is also preparing delicious food for us. Although the dried cucumber looks shriveled, after soaking it, its skin is green and lovely, and its surface is smooth and wrinkle-free, just as delicious as fresh cucumber! The brewing of dried cucumber is very particular. It must be soaked in cold water for about 12 hours. When eating, add shredded onion, salt, sesame oil and mature vinegar. This sour and refreshing side dish is crisp and fragrant, and it really has a special taste. I still can't forget the refreshing and crisp taste!
The dried cucumber in my hometown is rich in essential sugar, amino acids and vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and other nutrients, which can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and lower cholesterol.
for hundreds of years, the dried cucumber in my hometown has continued the most primitive taste and the oldest skills, and it will also lead our hardworking and simple hometown people to a richer and better tomorrow.