Cut cake has existed for thousands of years, and there are certain historical reasons for its emergence.

Next, I will introduce to you the historical background of the appearance of cut cake and the general production method!

Everyone knows the history of the Silk Road. At that time, Xinjiang was an important transportation hub for domestic and foreign caravans, and it was also a very important food supply station. Since merchants all travel long distances, the food they carry must be long-lasting and easy to carry, and must be rich in various amino acids and trace elements necessary for the human body, such as vitamin C. Otherwise, people will lose their health after traveling long distances. Sailors like those on Vasco da Gama's and Magellan's ocean fleets would die of scurvy.

Of course, the ancients would not analyze it so scientifically at that time. They made food for long-distance transportation based entirely on their long-term accumulated experience and the principle of starting from reality.

The cut cake is made of corn and wheat flour, with a lot of dried fruits and preserved fruits added to it. Everyone knows that cornmeal and wheatmeal are staple foods in the north. At that time, most of the people traveling on the Silk Road were northerners, so it was natural to use flour to make cakes.

Xinjiang has been rich in a variety of fruits and dried fruits since ancient times, such as walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, etc. They are all extremely rich in nutrients. The ancient people have understood their role in the long-term consumption of The importance of the human body, so it is not surprising that they are added to the cut cakes made of flour. These alone are not enough, the cut cakes must also meet the requirements of being easy to carry and preserve.

So when people make cakes, they add a lot of sugar to the flour. Some people may ask, what is the use of adding sugar? Hum, sugar is very useful! First of all, it can flavor cut cakes. Secondly, a large amount of highly saturated sugar has a good preservative effect. Furthermore, sucrose is also a very nutritious food, especially when a lot of energy is consumed during long journeys. It can replenish your physical strength very quickly!

Everyone should know that in an era when science was very underdeveloped, people could only rely on daily life experience to understand the use and functions of various things, such as the story of Shennong tasting a hundred herbs. A lot of traditional knowledge that has been handed down to this day may seem commonplace today, but at that time, it may have been learned by people after many lessons of blood and tears!

Well, it is rich in nutrients and can be stored for a long time without deterioration. These two conditions have been met, so how can we make it easy to carry? This involves the production method.

Northerners have the habit of steaming pasta, such as steamed buns, steamed buns and wowotou, so we naturally chose the method of steaming and cutting cakes. When kneading the dough, add an appropriate amount of dried fruits to the dough. After mixing with preserved fruits, a large amount of sucrose and brown sugar, the flour can be steamed in a steamer after a period of fermentation. The general process is similar to making cakes and steamed buns. The key point is that after cutting the cakes and steaming them, Down the processing method.

After cutting the cake and steaming it, put it into a very strong wooden trough while it is hot (the wooden trough is surrounded by several separate thick wooden boards, with thick hemp rope and large iron bent at both ends. nail them together), then use a thick wooden board to cover the cake, and put some heavy objects on the wooden board, such as stones or iron blocks. In short, it must be heavy enough. When you have to find a few fat stations, There is nothing wrong with that. In this way, the cut cake is slowly pressed until it is very tight, and a lot of moisture inside slowly flows out through the gaps at the bottom of the wooden groove.

Two days later, after removing the heavy objects or the little fat ones, pry up the iron nails, untie the hemp ropes, and remove the wooden boards, a solid and fragrant cake was presented to us. In front of you!

The cut cake made in this way has a high density, like a compressed biscuit. A small piece is enough to fill the stomach. It is rich in nutrients and does not deteriorate easily. It is very popular among merchants.

Some people say that mercury is added to make it very heavy. In fact, it is nonsense. If you buy a hot steamed bun and try to compress it to a very small size, you will know the weight of a small piece of flour after compression. It’s actually very heavy! With the development of history, cut cakes have gradually evolved into a unique pastry in Xinjiang. During festivals, traditional Xinjiang people will make cut cakes to entertain guests!