Nantong Xiting Cracker

Nantong Xiting Cracker is one of specialties of Nantong. It's specially delicious for its fine materials and meticulous making.

History

Nantong Xiting Cracker appaered at Qing Dynasty when Guangxu Emperor were in power. By now it has about one hundred years' history. The cracker's birth dates back to a story. Once in Xiting, a town of Nantong, a couple run a pastry shop and the husband was named LengChunxi(冷纯溪). But in the town most farmers couldn't afford these, so they make little money and lived on a bare edge of subsistence. Dissatified with this situation the couple decided to change. They found most farmers liked eating crackers, then crackers become their main product. Day and night they devoted themselves to improving traditional crackers to catering to farmers' purchase power. Finally they achieved success making the qualified and inexpensive cracker. The husband named it "Xiting White Cracker".^[1]

Early Development

Xiting Cracker at first was only spreaded at town. Its nationwide popularity owed to the figure, Zhang Jian. His ancestral residence was in Xiting and every year he went back to worship ancestors. He was fond of the cracker and he also presented them to the officials, native dealers as well as foreigner businessmen, meanwhile Lenchunxi(冷纯溪) improved the cracker further and changed its name to "Xiting Cracker". Since then Xiting Cracker not only was popular among the middle class but also in the imperial family even spreaded abroad.^{[2] [3]}

Making

The making includes 28 steps and it chooses the fine white flour as the main material and was shaped by hand, then it was roasted with light fire so its surface was little yellow but not burnt. Besides, with about sixty centimeters it only has eighteen layers. ^[4]

Eating Way

Usually we have two eating ways of the cracker. One is eahting it directly, the other is putting it into the water then eating. The former can taste its crispness and sweetness and the later is suit for the elder to protect their stomachs.^[5]

Nowadays Development

In Xiting nowadays there's a specialized company to produce all kinds of Xiting Cracker including cream taste, strawberry taste, lemon taste and so on. For containing calcium and zinc etc elements it progresses to healthy food.^[6]

References

1. ^ http://tour.jschina.com.cn/system/2011/09/08/011623352.shtml
2. ^ http://www.nantong.gov.cn/art/2011/5/9/art_23801_778949.html
3. ^ http://tour.jschina.com.cn/system/2011/09/08/011623352.shtml
4. ^ http://www.nantong.gov.cn/art/2011/5/9/art_23801_778949.html
5. ^ http://tour.jschina.com.cn/system/2011/09/08/011623352.shtml
6. ^ http://www.nantong.gov.cn/art/2008/12/22/art_162_158667.html