Goubuli buns are a well-known traditional Chinese snack known for their unique craftsmanship and taste. There is a widely circulated saying about the number of pleats of the Goubuli bun that "the Goubuli bun has eighteen pleats", but is this statement true?
First of all, we need to understand the process of making Goubuli buns. The production of Goubuli buns requires a number of processes, the most important of which is the rolling of the skin and the formation of folds. During the process, the dough is rolled out into a round crust and then hand-kneaded into eighteen pleats, each of which is uniform in shape and size. This is also a unique feature of the Goubuli bun making technique.
So, why is there a saying that "Goubuli buns have eighteen pleats"? There are many ways to say this. One theory is that during the Qing Dynasty, Goubuli buns were originally founded by eighteen shipwrights from Tianjin, and in honor of these eighteen founders, eighteen folds were pinched out of the buns. Another theory is that the reason why the number of pleats of the Goubuli bun is eighteen is because eighteen different raw materials are used in the production process, and in honor of these raw materials, there is a saying that there are eighteen pleats. There is also a theory that the reason why the number of folds of the Goubuli bun is eighteen is because in the traditional production process, the rolled dough sheet needs to be folded eighteen times to form a perfect circle, and each fold will produce a fold, so there is a saying that there are eighteen folds.
However, these claims are just legends and folk tales, and there is no scientific basis to prove the truth of the claim that "Goubuli buns have eighteen folds". In fact, the number of pleats of the Goubuli bun is not fixed, but varies according to different production methods and skill levels. In the traditional process of making Goubuli buns, the masters will try their best to make each pleat the same size and shape, but there is no guarantee that each bun will have eighteen pleats. In addition, with the continuous improvement and innovation of modern production processes, some Goubuli bun makers may adopt different production methods and techniques, resulting in different changes in the number of pleats.
Therefore, the statement that "Goubuli buns have eighteen folds" is just a legend and folktale and has no scientific basis to prove its authenticity. In fact, the production process and taste of Goubuli buns are its real characteristics and charm. When tasting Goubuli buns, we should pay attention to their craftsmanship and taste quality, rather than paying too much attention to the number of pleats. At the same time, we should also respect the inheritance and development of traditional production techniques and culture, so that this unique production skills can be continued and carried forward.