Oils, Salt, Sugar and Honey · FFET10467
Maltose syrup (yitang)
Made from rice and malt, sticky yitang is eaten plain, sandwiched between crackers, or used in roast meats.
Salt, powdered seasonings, cooking oils and fats, sugar, honey and syrups.
Yitang is a sticky syrup made from rice and sprouted grains such as malt, also called maiyatang or maiyagao. Cooked rice is mixed with malt until its starch turns to sugar, then the sweet liquid is filtered and simmered until thick. It is eaten plain and used in maltose cracker sandwiches and roast meats.
What
Yitang is a sticky syrup made from rice and sprouted grains such as malt, also called maiyatang or maiyagao. One historical explanation distinguishes the names by consistency: thinner syrup was called yi, thicker syrup tang.2,3
When
Historical accounts give detailed instructions for making white grain syrup and describe substantial consumption of tang during the Cold Food Festival. The available material does not establish the year of yitang's earliest attestation.1,2
Where
The available accounts do not define yitang as a product of one particular producing area.3
How
A historical method cooks and cools rice, mixes in malt powder, then drains the sweet liquid after the rice breaks down and simmers it with stirring until thick. Other accounts describe black and amber syrups made with different malts. Yitang can be eaten plain, sandwiched between crackers, or used as a glaze for roast meats.1,3
Why
Malt turns grain starch into sugar, and simmering the filtered liquid produces the sticky consistency. In roast meats it is used as a surface glaze.3
Impact and influence
Yitang serves both confectionery and cooking, from jiaojiaotang eaten plain to cracker sandwiches and roast meats.3