Compiled by Ma Mingrong The production technique of Huangxian Datang (also known as "Huangxian Malt Sesame Candy") began in the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. It has a history of nearly 200 years. It is mainly concentrated in the central village of Lutou Town. There are more than 60 existing Datang workshops and workshop sites. Huangxian Datang is a local specialty, sweet, fragrant and crispy, and is sold well in surrounding areas and even in the Northeast. The process of making Datang is relatively complicated, including soaking buds, pinching buds, steaming rice, squatting in a jar, fermenting in a jar, boiling slurry, frying sugar, adding sugar, buckling sugar, cutting sugar, steaming sugar, hanging sesame and more than ten other processes. In the early years, sugar mills used barley malt as an introduction. Sugar is made according to the ratio of 18 jin of barley malt to one dou (60 jin) of rhubarb rice. When soaking barley malt, water must be scooped out every day to promote its sprouting. On the seventh day, the barley malt is qualified and can be crushed on the mill. While pinching the barley malt, prepare steamed rice. Before steaming rice, soak the rice first. Rhubarb rice is the best rice for steaming rice. Soak the rhubarb rice for two hours before steaming it. After about an hour, the rice is ready. At this time, add the crushed sprouts and the steamed rice to an appropriate amount of water, stir them together, and put them into the vat. Let them settle in the vat for two hours, which is called "squatting in the vat". After that, scoop water from the big pot, fill the vat, and cover the mouth of the vat tightly, which is called "rising in the vat", which takes about 5 hours. After the vat is risen, release the rice slurry, add high heat to the bottom of the pot, and then boil the slurry. Boiling the slurry means evaporating the water in the slurry. Usually, a conical steam cage is placed on the cover of the big pot to discharge water vapor. After two hours, remove the steam cage and use a sugar stick (a seven or eight feet long, scraped and cleaned sycamore stick) to stir the pot to check the boiling effect. When large pieces are pulled out, stop the high heat and use a slow fire to boil. Next, it is time to fry the sugar. When frying the sugar, you need to use a wooden shovel to constantly shovel the bottom of the pot to prevent the pot from sticking. An experienced sugar frying master puts a willow wood string stick into the sugar and stirs it, then takes it out and dips it in cold water, pulls off the sugar and bites it. If it is hard, it means it has a lot of water. If it feels as crisp as eating melon and pickles, it means the sugar is fried well. The fried sugar must be quickly scooped into the mud basin beside the pot with a ladle. When the time is right, add the sugar. When adding the sugar, hang one end of the sugar on the hook, stand in front of the pot, hold the string stick, hold the other end of the sugar, and continuously stretch and knock the sugar. Then it is time to buckle the sugar. To buckle the sugar, two people need to stand face to face, one person holds the sugar still, and the other person holds the other end of the sugar, repeatedly stretching and overlapping the sugar. This continuous overlapping action is quite similar to knocking on an object, so it is called buckling the sugar. After three or five rounds of knocking, the buckling process is completed. Finally, sesame seeds are added. Although the skilled ones use less sesame seeds, they cook them well, the outer skin looks plump, and the sesame candy looks big, which naturally makes it look good. The "sweet process" of Huangxian big candy is arduous, requiring close cooperation of many people, physical strength, and hard work, which is not easy. Each candy shop has always valued integrity and quality, and the raw materials and utensils used are "original", with excellent reputation. Protecting and developing this traditional delicacy is of great significance to promoting the spirit of integrity and cooperation and creating a local brand.