Shiyongyouchuantong Making Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The craft of making Daming stone-milled sesame oil originated in Daming County, Handan City, Hebei Province, and spread to the surrounding areas. The stone-milled sesame oil-making craft comes from Rujiazhai in Daming County; it began in the Tang dynasty, flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and thrives today. Its line of transmission is clear and its product is highly distinctive; the oil produced is listed as a 'National Geographical Indication Protected Product'.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The craft of making Daming stone-milled sesame oil is a traditional handicraft that extracts sesame oil by the stone-mill 'water substitution' method, and it is one of the representative traditional edible-oil making techniques of China. Daming County lies in the south-east of Hebei Province at the junction of Hebei, Shandong and Henan, with a mild climate and four distinct seasons; since ancient times it has produced fine sesame in abundance, providing quality raw material for stone-milled sesame oil. Daming stone-milled sesame oil is made from carefully selected quality sesame by the traditional 'water substitution' process; because its aroma is strong and rich it is called 'fragrant oil'. Daming stone-milled sesame oil must pass through more than a dozen strict process steps before it can be made, including selecting the material, cultivating and roasting the sesame embryo, winnowing off the smoke, low-temperature and low-speed stone milling, separating the oil from the embryo, drawing off the oil and physical filtration. In the course of production, the temperature, time and degree of moisture of the soaking are adjusted flexibly according to the characteristics of the sesame, and the heat, together with the speed and timing of smoke winnowing and cooling, is precisely controlled so as to bring about the formation of the sesame's aromatic substances and ensure that the stone-milled sesame oil reaches its best mouthfeel. The stone mill used in this craft must be made from stone peculiar to the Taihang Mountains, chiselled with strict precision, so as to ensure that the mill's temperature and the fineness of the ground paste meet requirements. When the paste is mixed with water and stirred, the temperature and quantity of the water must be just right, so that the natural nutrients of the sesame are not lost. Physical filtration uses natural plant fibres, which makes the quality of the oil clearer and more translucent and its aroma purer. At present Daming County has more than 40 specialised sesame-oil villages and as many as 21 sesame-oil processing enterprises of a certain scale. The craft of making Daming stone-milled sesame oil is an important vehicle of local food culture and holds an important place in the history of edible-oil production; it is the crystallisation of the wisdom and creativity of the Chinese working people in production and daily life.
Archival Records of Process Steps
Daming stone-milled sesame oil must pass through more than a dozen strict process steps before it can be made: selecting the material, cultivating and roasting the sesame embryo, winnowing off the smoke, low-temperature and low-speed stone milling, separating the oil from the embryo, drawing off the oil and physical filtration.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Daming stone-milled sesame oil-making craft takes the Rujiazhai area of Daming County as its birthplace and spreads across the southern Hebei plain at the junction of Hebei, Shandong and Henan, forming in the county's more than forty specialised villages a pattern in which every village has its workshops; there are twenty-one processing enterprises above a certain scale. Its foundation rests on the two words 'water substitution': milling, mixing with water and drawing off the oil all rely on physical separation, with no solvents used, the first pressing drawing out the aroma and the second the taste. The millstones of each village are chiselled from Taihang stone.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Historically the stone-milled sesame oil-making craft was passed on mainly by master-apprentice transmission and within families. In recent years inheritors have kept widening the channels of transmission through family teaching, masters leading apprentices, training lectures, on-site guidance and practice in enterprises, actively advancing the transmission and development of the project. The transmission and development of this craft has contributed to meeting people's daily needs, driving the growth of related industries, promoting employment and income, fostering social harmony and carrying forward Chinese culinary culture.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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