Tongdefu Walnut Slice: A Century-Old Chongqing Flavor

Tongdefu Walnut Slice: A Century-Old Chongqing Flavor 

同德福桃片 穿越百年的重庆味道

In an alley on Wuyong Road, Hechuan District, Chongqing, there is a renowned local snack produced with exclusive techniques. The snack is made in thin slices, resembling paper, has a pure white color, and is soft and delicate in texture. This snack is none other than Tongdefu Walnut Slice, a brand that has been established since 1898.

Chongqing Hechuan Tongdefu Sliced-Walnut Cake Co., Ltd. proudly stands as the pioneer in producing this renowned snack in Hechuan. Known as a distinctive delicacy, Hechuan walnut slices not only represent the specialty of Chongqing but also serve as a symbolic calling card for the city. Tongdefu Walnut Slice skillfully balances tradition and innovation, preserving its rich historical roots while continuously exploring new horizons.

How has the Tongdefu Walnut Slice found its way to thrive for a century? On July 27, Yu Xiaohua, the fourth-generation inheritor of the brand and one of the first inheritors of municipal intangible cultural heritage, granted an exclusive interview to The World and Chongqing, shedding light on the Chongqing flavor from Hechuan Walnut Slices throughout the past century.

Inheritance of Craftsmanship Across a Century

In 1898, the craftsmen at Tongdefu shop in Hechuan successfully trial-produced a thin snack using glutinous rice, sugar, walnut kernel, and other ingredients. This marked the earliest version of Hechuan walnut slices. 

Yu Xiaohua’s great-grandfather, Yu Hongchun, and grandfather, Yu Fuguang, were operators of this snack at Tongdefu shop during the Qing Dynasty. As a member of the walnut slice family, Yu Xiaohua, the inheritor of the snack, has shouldered the responsibility of passing down the art of making the snacks since childhood. “Since I was 13, my father began orally teaching me the techniques, from the recipe to boiling sugar and mixing flour. I became familiar with the entire production process and honed my manual slicing skills from a young age,” Yu Xiaohua said. 

He started practicing slicing skills at the age of 15, repeating the same movements every day. By day’s end, his arms would be too sore to pick up food with chopsticks. However, his persistence over time paid off, and he mastered exceptional knife skills. Today, after engaging in making walnut slices for nearly 40 years, Yu Xiaohua still possesses good dexterity. During the exclusive interview, Yu Xiaohua demonstrated his unique skill—slicing the cake blindfolded, with each slice unbroken and in a uniform thickness of only 1 millimeter. This requires remarkable craftsmanship.

Innovation Beyond Sweetness and Continuity

 “In making walnut slices, quality comes first, followed by culture, and brand comes last.” Yu Xiaohua believes that adhering to strict craftsmanship and meticulous work is the secret of enduring Tongdefu Walnut Slice. 

Tongdefu employs measures such as selected ingredients and enhanced techniques to ensure that their traditional walnut slices are as white as clouds, thin as paper, and full of flavor. They also offer salt and pepper walnut slices, which have a unique, crisp taste. Each walnut slice undergoes nearly 20 production processes, including ingredient selection, rice washing, rice frying, grinding, sieving, sugar stirring, powdering, stewing, and slicing. Each process is regulated with great detail, showcasing the production wisdom that has been passed down for a century and highlighting Yu Xiaohua’s unswerving dedication to the craft. 

 “If we did not innovate, our product would eventually be phased out.” Despite the product’s widespread fame and increased growth in sales and production, Yu Xiaohua remains dedicated to pursuing advancements and innovation in the craft.

After more than a decade of research and experimentation, Yu Xiaohua successfully overcame the technical challenge of reducing sugar content without compromising the traditional flavor of the product. Additionally, they have developed a range of new flavors using raw materials such as eight delicacies, beans, black rice, and rose, as well as a collection with a crispy and inviting taste. These innovative products have gained popularity among consumers.

Global Expansion of Chongqing Flavor

Due to its unique flavor and extreme quality, Tongdefu has received numerous awards. In 2007, Tongdefu was selected as one of the first municipal intangible cultural heritage protection units and the first productive protection demonstration bases for municipal intangible cultural heritage. In 2020, its products were recognized as Chongqing Gifts for Foreign Affairs. Yu Xiaohua was named as the representative inheritor of the Hechuan Walnut Slice, one of the first batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage projects. 

Tongdefu Walnut Slice has become a prominent calling card for Chongqing walnut slices, and Yu Xiaohua is dedicated to promoting this traditional Chongqing flavor to the world. 

In 2010, Yu Xiaohua was invited to participate in the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, where Tongdefu Walnut Slice gained immense popularity. Martin Alintuck, President and CEO of USA Pavilion, highly praised the snack after tasting it. In 2018, Yu Xiaohua showcased the walnut slices at the Fifth China-Russia Expo. In 2020, he performed slicing blindfolded at the Chongqing Day of China Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai. “Constantly surpassing and innovating the technology and expanding the popularity of Hechuan walnut slices is my lifelong career. I will bring this specialty to the wider world,” said the 69-year-old Yu Xiaohua in persistent pursuit of his dreams.

Photo/Deng Siyuan and the Interviewee

重庆市合川区武永路的一条小巷里，藏着当地一种名小吃，其片薄如纸、洁白如云、绵软细腻，它便是创始于1898年的品牌——同德福桃片。

合川桃片是重庆特产也是重庆名片。重庆市合川区同德福桃片有限公司是“桃片之都”合川最早制造桃片的企业，其生产的桃片虽然是历史悠久的传统食品，却能继承传统，不断创新。

合川同德福桃片如何能传承百年？7月27日，同德福桃片第四代传人、首批市级非遗传承人余晓华接受《重庆与世界》杂志专访，讲述同德福桃片穿越百年的重庆味道。

百年技艺匠心传承

1898年，合川城里“同德福“斋铺的工匠，用糯米、白砂糖、核桃仁等原料，试制成功了一种薄片状的糕点，这便是最早的合川桃片。

余晓华的曾祖父余洪春、祖父余复光是清代“同德福“斋铺合川桃片经营者。作为“桃片世家”子弟，同德福桃片传人余晓华从小就肩负着技艺传承的责任，“从13岁起，父亲就开始向我口头传授桃片的制作技艺，从配方到熬糖、拌粉，从制作工艺到手工切片技巧，我从小就烂熟于心。”

余晓华说，15岁起他就开始练习手工切桃片，刚开始每天重复同样的动作，一天下来手臂酸疼，用筷子夹菜都十分吃力。但是日复一日的坚持，让他练就了精湛的刀工。如今，余晓华已从事桃片制作近40年，手上“功夫”依旧。采访现场，余晓华向记者展示其“独门绝技”——蒙眼切桃片，将糕坯切成薄片，每片厚度仅1毫米，还要薄厚均匀，卷展不断裂，非常考验手艺。

 创新超越香甜绵延

“做桃片首先要讲品质，其次是文化，最后才是品牌。”在余晓华看来，坚持严格精工细作，是同德福桃片经久不衰的奥秘。

 

合川同德福桃片。

同德福采用优选配料、强化工艺技术等措施，生产的传统口味桃片洁白如云，片薄如纸，香味十足；椒盐桃片，入口酥脆，别具风味。每一片桃片都有近20道制作工序，包括选料、淘米、炒米、磨粉、过筛、搅糖、擦粉、炖糕、切片等，每道工序都有详细的规章。一道道工序凝聚了合川桃片延续百年的制作智慧，更彰显了余晓华坚守初心的匠人精神。

“百年桃片，不创新就会被淘汰。”虽然同德福桃片声名远播，销路和产量也持续增长，但余晓华一直都在追求改良与创新。

为了更好地适应市场需求，余晓华通过十多年的研究实验，终于攻克了“糖少做不出桃片”的技术难关，在保持祖传香味的同时，大大降低了产品含糖量。同德福还突破传统口味，相继开发出八珍、豆香、黑米、玫瑰花、香酥等系列桃片，得到了更多消费者的青睐。

重庆味道走向世界

独树一帜的风味、精益求精的品质，让同德福桃片屡获嘉奖。 2007年，“同德福”入选重庆市首批“市级非物质文化遗产保护单位”、首批“市级非物质文化遗产生产性保护示范基地”；入选2020“重庆好礼·外事礼品”。余晓华被评为首批市级非物质文化遗产项目“合川桃片”代表性传承人。

同德福桃片成为重庆桃片的一张响亮名片，余晓华更着眼于把这一传统的重庆味道推向世界。

余晓华在2023合川区第十二届创业创新大赛上展示蒙眼切桃片。

        2010年，余晓华受邀参加在上海举行的世界博览会，同德福桃片在展会上大受欢迎，世博会美国馆总裁兼首席执行官马文涛在品尝后连连称赞；2018年，余晓华带着同德福桃片参加第五届中国—俄罗斯博览会；2020年，在迪拜举行的世界博览会中国馆“重庆活动日”上，余晓华表演蒙眼切桃片……“不断超越和创新工艺，扩大合川桃片的知名度，是我一生的事业。我将带着重庆合川桃片走向更宽广的世界。”69岁的余晓华依旧梦想执着。

文/刘丁睿

图/邓思源、受访人提供