By Dr. Zhang Ling, VP/Professor and Hu Yuchong, Sophomore,
Hunan University of Technology and Business (HUTB)
Shuangfeng, a county in Loudi City of Hunan Province, is located on the west side of the Jiufeng Mountain range. The climate in Shuangfeng is a subtropical monsoon climate. People here have a great passion for spicy flavors, and its abundant sunshine and plentiful rainfall make this land a privileged place for growing chili peppers. Chili here not only signifies a gift from nature, but also the residents’ painstaking effort and dedication to life.
Confucius Tower at Yongfeng Town (Photo by ZHENG Wei)
Early in the imperial reigns of Emperor Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1627-1644 AD), the residents of Shuangfeng County have demonstrated mastery of exquisite chili sauce production techniques. In midsummer, every household would put fresh chili sauce, wheat and various seasonings into jars, and place them under the intense sunshine to let them ferment naturally. Via the sediment of the scorching sun and time, although the chili sauce in the jars would remain reddish, the aroma would become thick and mellow. Because the chili sauce was mainly produced in 6 towns and townships in Shuangfeng County (i.e. Yongfeng Town, Yintang Township, Zoumajie Town, Zimenqiao Town, Shatang Township, and Shiniu Township), this variety of chili sauce was generally called Yongfeng Chili Sauce.
Yongfeng Chili Sauce is reddish-brown with a translucent amber luster. possesses the unique fragrance of fermented chili and wheat. Its spicy flavor is mellow, and mixed with a moderate salty and sweet taste. Its viscosity is moderate, and the chili seeds and crushed pieces of the pepper can be observed in the sauce. The chili sauce does not have any impurities. In year 2017, Yongfeng Chili Sauce was included in the Chinese Geographical Indication Production protection list of AQSIQ, Notice (2017) No. 182. On July 27, 2020, Yongfeng Chili Sauce was included in the second protection list of geographical indications within China and the European Union. Its production process has also been included in the second provincial-level intangible cultural heritage protection list in Hunan Province. Shuangfeng County has thus won the title of “The Premier Chili Sauce County in China”.
Yongfeng Chili Sauce (Photo by WANG Rui & ZHAO Yang)
The production of Yongfeng Chili Sauce is a dialogue between nature and the past. If its taste bears the ancient stories of this land, the 29 complex and meticulous production processes – from raw ingredient selection and enzyme-processing, to sun-drying the intermediate-stage ingredients, sun-drying the sauce and finalizing the sauce – are the illustrations of its historical line. In the initial stage of preparing the sauce, the best local chili peppers are carefully selected as raw materials: only those with thin skins, thick flesh, and bright colors are chosen. Here, it takes 1.5 kg of the local chili to produce only 0.5 kg of chili sauce. After a series of preparations, the most difficult and time-consuming stages of enzyme-processing and sun-drying are about to begin. Relying on the experience passed down from their ancestors, the artisans accompany the transformation of the chili sauce throughout the process. Every day, they shuttle back and forth among the sun-drying yards, not afraid of the roasting summer heat. Rather, they focus on constantly stirring the jars of chili sauce in the process of being sun-dried. Completion of the process usually takes a hundred days. If there is continuous rainy weather, it may cause the chili sauce to be ruined. Of course, it is only after the heat wave of the dog days gradually subsides and the coolness of the golden autumn quietly arrives, that a jar of truly satisfying chili sauce can be presented to the public.
Raw ingredients of Yongfeng Chili Sauce (Photo by HU Yuchong)
From growth, picking, sun-drying to fermenting into the final product, Yongfeng Chili Sauce has to go through countless processes before it can be served on the table. Every mouthful of the mellow chili sauce is the result of tacit cooperation among the sauce makers, the land and time. In the hands of artisans with different personalities, different preparations of chili sauce have their own flavors. Artisans with mild tempers often ferment gentle and long-lasting sauces; while fermented sauces from artisans with bold and forthright dispositions burst with straightforward and intense spicy fragrance from each stir. Every sauce maker in this land insists that, no matter how busy life is, eating well is always the priority: such is the profoundest wish of these artisans. It is a deeply-held belief among the people of Shuangfeng, that the company of family and a warm meal are the simplest form of happiness that all people pursue.
Sun-drying, Stirring, and Fermenting of Yongfeng Chili Sauce (Photo by ZHENG Wei)
Yongfeng Chili Sauce’s reputation became stronger as it gradually won fame across a broader geographical range. In one notable instance, during the turbulent years of the Qing Dynasty’s Emperor Xianfeng (1850-1861), Commander Zeng Guofan of the Xiang Army brought this unique flavor of his hometown to the Forbidden City, and presented it to Emperor Xianfeng. Emperor Xianfeng quickly fell in love with this chili sauce, full of authentic rural flavor, and he even listed it as a tribute to the court. Afterwards, Yongfeng Chili Sauce became renowned in the capital, and gradually also throughout the country. In the Republican period (1911-1949), sun-drying chili sauce was prevalent in Yongfeng, and large quantities were sold in Changsha, Shaoyang, Xiangtan and other places. In the present day, the Cai brothers have successively established three local chili sauce factories (Cai Guangxiang Factory, Cai Guangyi Factory and Cai Shunyi Factory) in Yongfeng Town. This was the essential origin of large-scale commercial production of chili sauce in Yongfeng Town.
Honors and Awards Earned by Yongfeng Chili Sauce (Photo by HU Yuchong)
Today in Yongfeng, during the sauce-drying season, artisans still laboriously practice the picturesque traditional production techniques. However, the brilliant cultural accomplishment of Yongfeng Chili Sauce stems not only from its profound tradition, but also from continuous innovation. Although it is essentially based on handmade production, Yongfeng Chili Sauce adheres more strictly to the high standards of modern hygiene, and makes a careful selection of top-quality raw ingredients and water sources. Also, the diversity of varieties reflects its adaptation to the changing times. Through generations of effort, Yongfeng Chili Sauce has earned successive honors and awards, including the famous trademark of Hunan Province, the gold medal of the International Food Expo, and the gold medal of the Hunan Excellent and Special New Agricultural and Sideline Products Expo.
Over the past 400 years, as vast crowds of people have come and gone from the area, the sundry experience of life has given Shuangfeng people a still greater dedication to the warm and tender taste of their local chili. Yongfeng Chili Sauce, containing the artisans’ culinary aesthetics and philosophy of life, has not only enriched our menu of national dishes, but has further carried forward the Chinese people’s common memories of bygone times.
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