In the years of ancient traders

The villagers in Xianghe Village chatted most that day about the mysterious food that Song Shu brought back from the south.

The news quickly spread throughout the village, and many people in Lincun even heard about it, and even came to inquire with relatives in Xianghe Village.Some people are curious, some are disdainful, and there are all kinds of comments.

But the Song family didn't know at all that Anan and the others were very busy under the leadership of Song Shu.

"Brother, I did as you taught, and they all clamored to come and see!" As soon as Liu Niang got home, she got into the kitchen to show her merits to Song Shu.

Song Shu praised a few words as she wished, and then said hard work to Song Anan who walked in.Anan was still silent, and didn't answer when he heard the words. He put down the flour and went to look at the firewood.

The firewood hole was much cleaner, and Song Shu swept out all the ashes inside, and put them in a pot for cooking.

Sanniang didn't understand, so she asked Song Shu and said that they were boiling alkaline water. He said that the noodles made after adding alkaline water were looser and softer, which could neutralize the sour taste of the noodles. hundred times.

Sanniang seemed to understand, but she only knew that she had never heard of this white steamed bun, and it was indeed a novelty, as Shiro said.

In this era, there is no method of fermenting noodles with sourdough, but the cost is high and the effect is mediocre. This is probably one of the reasons why pasta is always disgusted.

If the dough is to rise naturally, it needs to be left overnight in an oxygen-free environment.

Song Shu thought it was too slow, and planned to cheat quietly.He wandered around the room, took out a small packet of yeast from the space while there was no one there, and replaced the plastic packaging with a burlap bag before heading to the stove again.

In the kitchen, Anan, Wu Niang and Liu Niang each got a lump of flour.Sanniang wanted to wash clothes, so she didn't join in.Qilang was still young, so he walked around behind Song Shu, asking him to pick him up to see what the brothers and sisters were doing.

The three people kneading the dough listened to Song Shu's instructions, added yeast and cold alkaline water to the flour, and started kneading.

I heard from Sanniang that when Song Anan first came, he could be said to be indifferent to the five grains, but he excelled in his diligence, and now he kneads the dough well.He was strong, and he got the most flour. Soon, the flour changed from flocculent to ball in his hands.

The job of kneading the dough was not difficult, and everyone was familiar with it. Song Shu didn't have anything to say, so he just made flour for kneading himself. Later, when Liu Niang got tired, he took her too.After a while, the dough was formed and put into a large clay vat, covered with cloth and fermented.

"Brother, what's the name of the one you just added?"

"yeast."

"what is that?"

"Uh...something that makes dough rise."

"Do all southerners use this?"

"No, I got it by chance from... er, a businessman from overseas."

"where is he from?"

"From... um... Fusang."

Liu Niang nodded seriously, she had never heard of this place name, brother is really amazing.She asked enough, and seeing that there was nothing wrong at home, she took Qilang out to play.

"where?"

Liu Niang just left, Song Shu turned around, Song Anan stared at him, and jumped out two words.

Song Shu was taken aback, and Anan added: "Fusang."

Now Song Shu understood, but he also had a difficult time.

There are indeed records about Fusang in ancient times. Later historians speculated that it should refer to Mexico, but this is only speculation, and there is no clear historical data to prove that the ancient Chinese knew the existence of America.He just used it casually just now, but who knows that Song Anan is interested, how should he explain to an ancient man who has never seen the sea that there is a big, big land on the other side of the sea?

"I don't know the exact location. I just heard from the man that they landed from Yuezhou. Before that, they sailed all the way west and sailed at sea for three or four months."

Song Anan had no expression on his face, and spat out the word "um".

Song Shu didn't expect any response from him at first, but why did the word "um" reveal a strong sense of distrust?

Well, he was indeed making it up. With the current level of technology, how could the Mexicans travel across the ocean to come here, let alone come here to do business.But Song Anan, you can't imitate Liu Niang, you see that she is giving more face, so you turn around and brag to her little friends.

After the Song Liuniang brand loudspeaker blew again, everyone in the village knew that Song Shu got a good thing, which was yeast from Fusang country.

What is yeast?

If someone asks that, the villagers of Xianghe Village will say proudly that they can show their face.

What's the matter, sourdough yeast can also make dough.

Yes, sourdough yeast can also leaven dough, so what is so magical about yeast?

No matter, it came from Fusang country, which is amazing enough.

More and more people gathered around the Song family.

In addition to wars and famines these years, it is rare to have some fresh and interesting things that lift the spirits of the whole village.Everyone is waiting to see the noodles made by the yeast from Fusang country.

As for what the Fusang Kingdom is, I don’t know, maybe somewhere overseas, like Dashi.

An hour and a half later, the first round of baking was completed, and Song Shu took them to shape.There are no more than two kinds of white steamed buns, one is round at the top and flat at the bottom, and the other is rolled into a long strip and cut with a knife.Song Shu listened to the suggestions of Sanniang and Liuniang, and adopted the first method.

When the first pot of steamed buns was finished steaming, Song Shu lifted the lid, and Liu Niang stepped on the stool to look over, her face covered in steam.

"It's so big!" she shouted, half her face covered in steam.

Song Sanniang and Song Anan also came over to look at it. Qilang stretched his head upward while pulling Song Shu's clothes.

"This is bigger than Liu's steamed cake." After a while, Song Sanniang said.This made Shichiro even more anxious, and kept yelling about pancakes.

The effect of using dough fertilizer is naturally better than that of physalis, otherwise it will not become the most mainstream dough raising method in later generations.Song Shu moved the steamed buns with his hands, pinched them with three fingers, quickly took one of the white steamed buns out of the steamer, and put it in a bowl.

Wu Niang stared at the steamed bun that had been scooped out, and her face almost turned up, as if she wanted to compare whether the steamed bun was bigger or her face was bigger.

"It was only the size of a fist when it was put in." Song Sanniang said, this is what surprised her. It is reasonable to say that the steamed buns have already been steamed, but they did not expect that they would grow even bigger after steaming.

"Try it?" Song Shu broke open the steamed buns and distributed them to several people.

Liu Niang was the most active, she stuffed the steamed buns into her mouth as soon as she got them, and she was so hot that she raised her head and breathed out.Wu Niang studied it over and over again, and seemed to be very interested in the honeycomb-shaped holes on the cut surface of the steamed buns.Song Anan looked at it for a moment, and ate it in one gulp.Song Sanniang broke it into two halves again, ate one half, and studied the other half again and again.

"Delicious! Brother, this is delicious! It's a bit sweet." Liu Niang stared at the little steamed bun left in Song Shu's hand, and her saliva was about to flow out.

"Look at how greedy you are, brother hasn't eaten yet." Song Sanniang said.

Song Shu didn't mind, Liu Niang was growing up and usually had nothing to eat, it's normal to have a strong appetite, so he gave her the rest.

Liu Niang took it, but she didn't eat it, instead she ran out.

"Tan Li! My brother's steamed buns are ready!" Song Liuniang yelled, running up to a boy in his teens, "Try it and see if I lied to you?"

Regarding the steamed buns, Liu Niang talked to Tan Li the most.Tan Li was not careless like Song Liuniang, he had certain doubts about Song Shu's so-called white steamed buns.

The so-called yeast, even if it comes from overseas, can it really make better food than physalis noodles?

Tan Li took the small piece of steamed bun, and all the eyes gathered around him. Some of his usual playmates urged him to eat quickly.

As soon as the steamed buns were in his hand, Tan Li found that they were softer than the steamed buns he had tasted before.

He took a bite, and the aroma of the noodles filled his teeth. It was not like steamed cakes fermented with physalis. Without the meat filling, it would be sour when neutralized, but it would be slightly sweet if chewed too much.

At this moment, he also had to admit: "It's delicious."

"Really delicious?"

"Can we try it?"

"What are you greedy for? Overseas yeast is so precious, you can taste it if you say so?"

"Liu Niang, one bite, one bite."

The adults and children present talked to each other without waiting for Liu Niang to speak, the chai door of the Song family opened again, Song Anan held a steamer in one hand, and brought out all the steamed buns just now.

For a moment, the fragrance of the noodles wafted up, making everyone's index fingers twitch.

Song Shu once said that he wanted everyone to try something new, and he did not break his promise, and each family gave away a whole steamed bun.

Food is scarce these days, and the people who got the steamed buns were overjoyed, and some were embarrassed to accept them. Song Shu said that they have been taken care of by everyone these days, and please accept them with a little care.

After hearing this, everyone praised Widow Song for teaching well, and the children of the Song family knew how to be grateful, and happily went home with steamed buns.

During the days after Widow Song left, although there were some small conflicts, these neighbors in the same village had no bad intentions and they were considered caring for them. Apart from the people who came to Song's house to watch, Song Shu and Sanniang walked around the village again , and sent white steamed buns to the remaining families.

As a result, white steamed buns produced by the Song family appeared on the dining tables of every family in Tianxianghe Village.

When they got home, Sanniang asked Song Shu if the rest of the dough had been steamed.

Song Shu shook his head, and told Anan to find a smaller earthen jar, put the remaining dough in it, spread a thick layer of dry powder on it, and press the mouth of the jar with wooden boards and bricks.

"What is this for?" Liu Niang asked curiously.

"This is old dough. When we make steamed buns tomorrow, add it directly, so we don't need yeast." Song Shu said.

Liu Niang nodded, she knew that the specific method of steamed buns was a secret, so she didn't ask any more questions, and if someone asked her, she just pretended not to know.

Song Sanniang immediately understood: "That is to say, we won't use yeast anymore?"

"Yes." Song Shu nodded.

"No wonder, you said you can make money."

When they made steamed buns just now, they used up all the yeast. At first, she was worried that they gave away all the steamed buns, how would they make money in the future?Besides, the yeast that came across the ocean is definitely not cheap. Common people cannot afford such a precious thing, so it is bound to be difficult to buy and sell.

At this moment, Song Shu told her about the key to fatness, and suddenly became enlightened.

This food tastes good, the ingredients are cheap, and the key is novelty. Maybe it can really earn money as Shiro said.

It's just that the people in the village have no money. If you go to the county town, the steamed buns must be cold. How can this attract people from the county town to spend money to buy them?

Song Sanniang thought of this, but ran out of ideas.

The author has something to say: Regarding the method of dough fermentation, the author went to HowNet to check. China’s dough fermentation technology has roughly gone through five stages. The sour pulp fermentation method mentioned in the article became popular around the 6th century AD. It basically coincides with the time of the Tang Dynasty referred to in this article, and it belongs to the second stage, while the third stage, the yeast dough method (which we use now) was only popular around the [-]th century AD, so the ancient people here did not I know~

Thank you for your support, okay~