The sound of "bang" is a good childhood memory of many born in the 70s and 80s.
I saw the master popcorn seller put the baked "black gourd" into a sack and step on it. Then, with an astonishing "bang", a burst of white mist rose, and the golden corn kernels turned into fragrant popcorn.
Corn has opened the golden childhood of Chinese people. It is so commonplace that corn, one of the four major staple foods in my country, is actually a fresh "back wave" on the Chinese dinner table.
A generation behind waves pushes forward waves. Corn is already one of the most widely planted crops in the world, with an overall output of about 1.134 billion tons in more than 170 countries and regions around the world. In China alone, the total corn consumption in 2021 will be about 290 million tons.
In the live broadcast room of the big V "Oriental Selection", a corn is 6 yuan, and 120,000 corns are sold in 10 minutes, which has attracted widespread attention to this grain. On September 29, 2022, with corn as one of the main raw materials, the core product "Classic Wuliangye" under the representative brand of Chinese liquor Wuliangye, as the designated wine for the event, appeared in the celebration of the "50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and Mexico". I am very excited about the value of corn beyond the grain itself.
The starting point of all business is the classic and universal products. The "black gourd" in the hands of the master popcorn seller is like the gossip stove of the Supreme Lord. From the past to the present, there are countless possibilities and expectations spinning in it. A small grain of corn may never have thought that it would change the world, and even determine the fate of human beings.
Started in the name of "SSR"
The birth of corn has the natural temperament of "SSR" (Superior Super Rare, super super rare).
About 10,000 years ago, corn was just "teosinte," a wild grass known as "Mexican wild corn." The Latin American primitive Indians in the "Balsas River Basin" centered in southern Mexico, accidentally discovered that "teosinum" was edible, and thought it was a gift from "gods" and began to study "teosinum". Grass" was the first artificial domestication.
The high yield of domesticated corn soon saved the Indians from starvation. So in Mexico, corn is revered as the god of harvest, worshiped and respected.
Europe is a wheat civilization, Asia is a rice civilization, and Latin America is a maize civilization. From 5000 BC to 1000 AD, corn experienced numerous natural mutations and inter-ethnic hybridization. After humans screened the size, color and grain characteristics of the ears, corn can be used not only as food, but also in industry and animal husbandry. irreplaceable role.
Looking back, without the domestication of the Indians, there would be no classic Wuliangye today. It pays tribute to the historic moment of friendship between China and Mexico, which are thousands of miles apart.
Compared with rice and wheat, corn is definitely the "SSR" among agricultural crops. Not afraid of drought or cold, barren land can grow well. In November 1492 AD, when Columbus and his sailing partners first set foot on the West Indies in America, they were immediately attracted by the endless, tall and unique crops planted by the local Indians.
This is the corn that later spread all over the world.
Cheng Sui Crazy Skill Tree
Leaving the place of birth, the temperament of the chosen son of corn was fully revealed, and he began to frantically click on the skill tree. Especially China, which came across the Pacific Ocean.
There are many theories about the introduction of corn into China, but it is generally introduced by land and sea through multiple channels. Before the introduction of corn, the population of all dynasties in China hovered around 60 million, and it was still unable to break through this value. After the introduction of high-yield and adaptable species such as corn in the late Ming Dynasty, the population in the early Qing Dynasty quickly exceeded 100 million. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, China's population reached 400 million.
Today, corn has replaced wheat and rice as the most productive staple food in China.
Now, nearly 78% of corn is used as cash crop every year. There is also a considerable part of corn, which has become an important raw material that cannot be separated from starch, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, food and industry. In the field of economy and other fields seeking a better life in addition to food and clothing, corn has played its main value, especially in the brewing industry.
After corn was introduced to the Southwest, it quickly solved the problem of eating enough for the local people. As a result, the surplus corn was used by ordinary people to try to make wine. On the map of Chinese wine culture, corn wine was once the main wine brand in the Southwest and Northeast.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, Yao Junyu, a great gentleman in Yibin, opened Yao’s Distillery. After repeated trials, five kinds of grains, sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, buckwheat and millet, were used to brew “Yaozixuequ” with local Anle spring water, which became popular at that time. famous wine.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the Chen family founded the "Wen Defeng" distillery, integrating the essence of Yaozixue koji brewing, replacing the millet in the original Wuliang formula with corn newly introduced from overseas at that time, and finally combining sorghum fragrance, sweet corn, clean rice, The five flavors of wheat, glutinous rice and barley are integrated into one, forming the predecessor of Wuliangye, which is now "sweet and refreshing".
Corn, as an inseparable and important part, has become a part of Chinese culture.
Zhuanwen · A Summary of 7000 Years
Born in Mexico (Mexico) and prospered in China (China), perhaps this is a summary of the achievements of the discovery of corn over 7,000 years ago. If in Mexico, corn, as a separate cultural existence, has risen to an unparalleled height, then in China, combined with Chinese food culture and wine culture, the cultural connotation and significance of corn has jumped to another higher level. level.
Roasting corn in the north shows the boldness of the north; cooking dishes in the south shows the gracefulness of the south. Corn embodies the character of a person, and the process of corn merging with Chinese diet and cultural pedigree is a concrete manifestation of the evolution of civilization.
"Harmony" culture has a long history in China. As an alien species, corn has been around 200 years since it was sown and became one of the staple foods in China. From nothing to existence, from existence to acceptance, from acceptance to recognition and forming an important part of Chinese diet, the introduction and promotion of corn is the perfect presentation of Chinese "harmony" culture.
Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty said, "Harmony but difference, adhere to dual purposes", which means to see the two contradictory aspects of things and seek unity in the contradictory opposition. In the unity of contradictions, although the views and opinions of both contradictory There are differences, but both sides of the contradiction can still live in harmony. Confucianism's harmonious but different social outlook is also concentrated in the attitude towards different national cultures, that is, different national cultures should conduct equal exchanges and organic integration with an open and inclusive attitude.
Specific to things, cultural festivals with corn as the core are staged in various places. In the formula of Wuliangye, corn is used instead of millet, so that the flavor of the liquor presents a more perfect "sweet" taste. It is perfectly blended with the other 4 kinds of raw materials, and each maintains its own flavor. The creativity and innovation make the flavor of liquor go through history. , taste and quality that stand the test of time. Wuliangye has also become the "spokesman" of Chinese "harmony" culture.
Harmony · From Civilization to Civilization
On September 29, 2022, at the event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mexico, dignitaries and guests from China, Mexico and other countries gathered, and "Classic Wuliangye" as the designated wine for the event received great attention.
The fate in the dark is very wonderful. The reason why "Classic Wuliangye" is named "Classic" is that the wine body is brewed with traditional craftsmanship that has been passed down for hundreds of years; the second is that the packaging design adopts the classic Chinese drum-shaped porcelain shape and is decorated with time-honored decorations . With the characteristics of "rich aroma, elegant cellar aroma, sweet and mellow in the mouth, refreshing and silky in the throat, harmonious flavors, just right, and long aftertaste", it achieves the sense of age through history.
This coincides with the 50-year friendship between China and Mexico, and the hundreds of years of continuous contact with corn as the vein.
After thousands of years of changes and evolutions, a grain of corn has completed its transition from its prosperous place to its birthplace at this special moment and in this special way.
Whether as a simple grain or a commercial change based on it, corn and the culture it consists of have changed the past, shaped the present, and influenced the future.
History is the engine of the future. In the famous movie "Interstellar", even when human beings turn their attention to the deep space universe due to environmental problems, the last moment is still nourishing human beings, which is corn. Starting from the distant American continent, the corn sown to the whole world not only spreads the survival, but also spreads the endless civilization of human beings. In the future of global co-construction and harmony but diversity, corn will continue to witness and influence human beings, moving from civilization to new civilization.
.jpeg)