One company taking advantage of the local crop is Sheng Zu Food and Beverage Corp. Established in 1990, the family-run business now produces 17 different flavors of peanut candy, also known as "gong candy." There are two theories explaining the reason the candy got its unusual name. One theory is that "gong" in Chinese refers to the tradition, dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), of offering candy as a tribute to the Chinese emperor. The other theory is that "gong" in the Fujianese dialect sounds like the word "to beat."
Li Yi-guang, Sheng Zu's head of marketing, said that there is indeed a lot of beating involved in the production of the candy, and visitors were welcome to witness the procedure from start to finish. "We are the first company to establish a factory with viewing windows, so the manufacturing process can be seen by the public," he said.
In the beginning, Li explained, after raw peanuts are cooked in a pot for around eight hours to soften their texture, a measured quantity of maltose and other ingredients are added. "It takes some time to prepare this base, which includes maltose, flour, sugar and water," Li said.
At this stage, the mixture is allowed to be cooled and more melted maltose can be added to make a paste, or it can harden into a block. The block will then be beaten to crack the peanuts, hence "gong candy." Next, the paste or powder is pressed through a machine, and factory employees roll and cut it into portions by using wooden rods that let the extra air out of the candy, Li explained. Some aspects of manufacturing peanut candy cannot be done by machinery, which means the traditional method of doing things by hand will be largely preserved, he added.
The final process that visitors can witness is the candy being packed into a new style of box emblazoned with images of Kinmen's Wind Lion God. "With the new boxes, we hope to increase the sense of our local tradition," Li said.
Write to Sandra Shih at sandrashih@mail.gio.gov.tw