Laotangjingpeizhi
01 · Historical Records
Laotang essence preparation derives from a secret formula of the Qing court; the technique later passed to the common people and is now widely distributed in northeast China and even across northern China, with Acheng District in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, being its representative distribution area. Laotang (aged broth) originated in the early Jin dynasty; Jurchen cooks mainly relied on broths simmered from the bones of various animals to bring out savoury and aromatic flavours. In the late Qing period the laotang secret formula came into the hands of the court chef Tang Keming, and from then on it was handed down in an orderly manner.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Laotang essence preparation is the traditional skill of making a condiment with animal bone-marrow powder as the main raw material, with plant spices added. Laotang essence takes animal bone-marrow powder as its main raw material, adds plant spices, and is made by traditional techniques after scientific compounding. As a traditional condiment, laotang essence retains the flavour characteristics of traditional aged broth while also having the advantages of being convenient to use and widely applicable. Laotang essence can be used not only for cooking dishes, making soups and hot pot, but also for seasoning fillings and dressing cold dishes. Laotang essence preparation includes the following process steps: selecting high-quality bones of pig, ox and chicken and extracting bone-marrow powder by traditional methods; selecting natural plant spices; mixing the pig, ox and chicken bone extracts in certain proportions, adding scallion, ginger, garlic and more than a dozen Chinese herbal ingredients such as cardamom and licorice, mixing them in proportion, and by traditional techniques making a granular or powdery readily soluble substance, laotang essence. This technique not only reflects the breadth and depth of Chinese culinary culture but also offers useful reference and inspiration for the making of modern condiments. It uses traditional handicraft to combine various meat extracts in formula proportions with traditional seasonings compounded scientifically; it saves time, is convenient and has a stable taste, and the product is richly aromatic, strikingly savoury and long-lasting in flavour. As the Jurchens moved into the Central Plains, laotang spread there as well and formed a secret formula.
Archival Record of Process Steps
Laotang essence preparation includes the following process steps: selecting high-quality bones of pig, ox and chicken and extracting bone-marrow powder by traditional methods; selecting natural plant spices; mixing the pig, ox and chicken bone extracts in set proportions, adding scallion, ginger, garlic and more than a dozen Chinese herbal ingredients such as cardamom and licorice, mixing them in proportion, and making a granular or powdery readily soluble substance, laotang essence, by traditional techniques.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The laotang essence preparation technique has Acheng District in Harbin, Heilongjiang, as its representative distribution area, spreading north along the Songhua River into the northeast interior. Unlike the stock that is simmered fresh and drunk at once inside the passes, the broth here is first boiled down into bone-marrow powder and then compounded into an all-purpose seasoning. In selecting materials it insists on using the bones of pig, ox and chicken together, proportioning them with more than a dozen Chinese herbal ingredients including scallion, ginger, garlic, cardamom and licorice. The old Jurchen method of simmering broth from bones was handed down from the Jin dynasty.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Because laotang essence preparation requires excellent culinary skill and talent, only a few people master the secret formula, and it is transmitted cautiously under protection. After innovation and development, the laotang essence preparation technique now retains its traditional flavour and can be produced on a large scale, bringing the flavour of laotang essence into countless homes. The laotang essence preparation technique is a precious asset of Chinese culinary culture, a crystallisation of the wisdom and creativity of the nation, and a vivid testimony to cultural exchange and fusion among ethnic groups; it carries rich historical information and cultural memory and has considerable economic, historical and social-cultural value. Wang Jun (as recorded in the official archive of the associated inheritor): Male, Han, born in November 1951, a native of Acheng County, Heilongjiang Province. A laotang essence preparation technician. In the course of study, inheritance and innovation he summarised and published monographs such as Chinese Hot Pot and A Complete Compendium of Chinese Condiments, combining theory with practice. On the basis of many years of research, practice and refinement, he has used traditional techniques to produce a standardised laotang essence that is both convenient to use and retains its traditional flavour characteristics. A representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage items for laotang essence preparation.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Wang Jun 05-2905
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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