The composition and production of the ingredients of the eight treasures cake
1. Edible history.
The history of eating Bazhen Cake can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, and it was developed by the imperial physician Chen Shigong for the prince who had a weak stomach and indigestion at that time. In the book "Orthodox Surgery", he left a recipe for Bazhen Cake, saying that it "takes to 100 days, lightens the body and endures aging, strengthens Yuanyang, cultivates the spleen and stomach, and is difficult to describe". Since then, Bazhen cake has been used for a hundred years and has become a wonderful recipe for food therapy and health in the palace. It is rumored that Emperor Qianlong often took Bazhen cake since the 50th year of Qianlong to nourish the spleen and prolong life. This kind of cake is composed of eight flavors of traditional Chinese medicine such as Codonopsis, Poria cocos, Atractylodes, barley, gourd, lentils, etc., which is neither cold nor hot, peaceful and warm, and mainly nourishes the spleen and stomach, and has many miraculous effects. Since then, "Bazhen Cake" has become Cixi's favorite food. Regardless of whether she is sick or not, she must always let the imperial dining room make "Bazhen Cake" for her to eat. Bazhen cake is one of the characteristic traditional spots in Shaoxing, Zhejiang.
Second, the main ingredients.
Bazhen cake is a kind of cake made of poria cocos, white lentils, lotus seed meat, barley, Chinese yam, gourd, hawthorn, malt and other eight kinds of traditional Chinese medicine for both medicine and food as raw materials, with the effect of nourishing the spleen and stomach. It is divided into "male eight treasures" and "female eight treasures". The ingredients of Nan Ba Zhen include poria cocos, white lentils, lotus seed meat, barley, white yam, gourd, hawthorn and malt, which are intended to eliminate food and accumulate and strengthen the body. In terms of efficacy, male Bazhen mainly focuses on strengthening the spleen and replenishing vitality, which is suitable for men's daily maintenance and consumption. The ingredients of the female Bazhen are slightly different from the male Bazhen, removing the hawthorn and malt, and adding ginseng and codonopsis, the purpose of which is to strengthen the body. In terms of efficacy, Nubazhen mainly focuses on nourishing blood and nourishing the heart, calming the nerves and intellectuals, etc., which is suitable for women's daily maintenance and consumption.
It should be noted that the ingredients and effects of male and female Bazhen are not absolute, and different regions have different formulas and effects, so you need to choose according to your personal physique and needs, and pay attention to eating in moderation.
3. Production method.
The practice of Bazhen cake is generally to grind eight kinds of Chinese medicine and food into a very fine powder, and then add sugar, water and steamed cake. This kind of pastry has a sweet and soft taste, and is loved by people. At the same time, Bazhen Cake also has the effects of nourishing the body and invigorating the qi, appetizing and strengthening the spleen, and is a traditional Chinese dessert with rich nutrition and diverse health care functions. The method of making Bazhen cake includes the following steps:
1.Eight kinds of traditional Chinese medicine that are used both medicine and food are ground into very fine powders and set aside.
2.Mix the rice and glutinous rice into flour and set aside.
3.If you want to taste dessert, you can add more sugar, and it is best to beat the sugar into a powder, which is conducive to forming a ball.
4.Add water to all the ingredients, mix well, and knead into a ball.
5.Divide the large dough into smaller pieces and shape them.
6.Steam for 20 minutes.