Cross-cultural – Page 9 – Goldfish Odyssey

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Lübeck

Many Americans might not be familiar with the historical and cultural heritage of Lübeck but still recognize its name—from its famous marzipan, to be exact. Lübecker Marzipan, similar to balsamic vinegar of Modena and prosciutto of Parma, is protected by law. The productional quality is highly controlled. Among all the manufactures, Niederegger is most celebrated with its 100% almond paste sweets.^[1] The texture of classical Niederegger Marzipan is light. While the candy melts in one’s mouth, the rich fruity taste lingers.

Due to the time constraint, I did not get to visit the Niederegger store. However, with Easter approaching, colorfully decorated candies could be seen from the street. They brought a sense of joy and celebration to the Old Town surroundings. And, of course, I brought marzipan home with me.

I was introduced to marzipan in the States. Its texture and taste instantly reminded me of Taiwanese mung bean cake.^[2] Almonds have high oil content. With the help of some egg white, almond flour can become shapeable paste easily. Mung beans need to be steamed, ground and mixed with sesame or vegetable oil^[3] before shaping into paste. The paste will be green if whole beans are used; pale yellow if skins are removed. Some cakes have red-bean-paste filling. Beautifully carved molds will be used to press out the cakes. These cakes used to be eaten on Dragon Boat Festival. Nowadays, they are readily available at pastry shops.

Marzipan are often shaped into fruits and animal figures.^[4] Their lively forms and bright colors always bring me right back to the street corner of my childhood, where vendors carefully crafted dough figurines.^[5] These little figures—often characters of traditional theater—made of flour or glutinous rice dough, were only a few inches long. But no details would be left out. I would stand mesmerized watching the vendors shaping each little part under their fingers and attaching them together one by one. The intense colors of the dough seemed to make the figurines bigger than life. Standing on top of bamboo sticks, they were alluring to any child both as candies and as toys. In theory, these figurines are edible things. I, out of curiosity, had put my tongue on them once or twice. MY verdict was that they were not meant to be eaten. I remembered tasting more of the food coloring than the sweet dough.

In Niederegger Marzipan Museum, there are life-size marzipan sculptures of historical figures and a miniature of the Old Town with the seven spires^[6] It seems that using candies as story-telling medium is a universal practice. And, they are irresistible to adults and children alike.

^[1] Lübeck_Marzipan_Wiki
^[2] Images of Taiwanese mung bean cakes
^[3]Some modern recipes use butter instead.
^[4] Thai mung bean cakes are formed and colored in a similar way: Images of Thai mung bean desserts.
^[5] Images of Chinese dough figurines
^[6]Niederegger marzipan museum: Official site.
Images of Marzipan Museum: Niederegger Lübeck.

On my first flight to the States, the hot beverage for coach class on Northwest fleet was a mixture of tea AND coffee. The taste of this “special” brew was hard to describe. I am glad that it is gradually fading away from my memory. In those days, tea making and drinking in America involved Lipton tea bags, hot water and a mug. Loose-leaf tea was not commonly available. Hardly would anyone ask: “What kind of tea would you like?” Most people’s knowledge of Chinese tea was limited to the low-grade jasmine tea at Chinese restaurants where chop-suey was the top seller.

One of the first thing my family did every morning was to make tea. Like many Chinese tea drinkers, dad preferred green tea to black tea (or 紅茶—red tea). He felt that the natural sweetness of tea was lost during the oxidation process. Even the popular, semi-oxidized 烏龍 Oolong (literally black dragon) did not garner his approval.

Mom has a different kind of appreciation for tea. She used to accompany her grandma to pick tea leaves during summer months. She recalls often the labor-intensive work and all the details that involved.^[1] She recalls the simple meals and lodging offered to the workers. Occasionally, for fun, mom would point out how some leaves/stems floated on top—like a fortuneteller reading leaves. We never took it seriously.

I brought some tea with me to the States, but the supply didn’t last long. Soon I found myself searching for something that didn’t need the help of lemon, milk or sugar; something that still had some taste after the first brew. I kept an open mind and started trying everything that I could find at grocery stores. It didn’t take long for me to find Earl Grey. Growing up with green tea, finding any kind of black tea agreeable was a very surprising experience to me.

With a little bit of research, I realized that it was the addition of bergamot oil that attracted me. Chinese people believe in the medicinal value of orange peel tea. When oranges were in season, my parents would clean and dry orange peels around the stove. Even though I found the taste of orange peel tea peculiar at first, I learned to love it. And, I always associate the perfume of dried orange peels to the warmth of a burning stove in winter time.

As tea-drinking becomes a trendy thing, there is a wide-range of varieties on the market. I enjoy tasting 龍井 (Longjing or literally dragon well) and good-quality Oolong. On a cold day, I find comfort in 玄米 (Genmaicha, Japanese green tea with roasted brown rice). I also like to refresh my palate with herbal and floral fusions. Yet, I don’t consider them “tea,” since they didn’t come from tea shrubs.

What’s your favorite tea?

^[1] In Taiwan, low-growing tea plants are cultivated in mountainy areas. One often need to bend down while picking tea leaves. Seasonal labors commonly work long hours during harvest time. For good quality tea productions, only the new growth on the tip of the branches— “一心二葉” (one tip and two leaves)—should be picked. In recent decades, usage of harvesting machines has become more and more popular. While it increases productivity, it makes the quality less even.

Tag: Cross-cultural

Lübeck (III)—Marzipan

My cup of tea